President Biden defied the odds and secured a victory in New Hampshire's Democratic primary on Tuesday night, despite not being listed on the ballot. With over a quarter of the expected Democratic vote counted, the 81-year-old incumbent was projected to have enough support to defeat his nearest rival, Rep. Dean Phillips, who received 20% of the vote. Self-help author Marianne Williamson trailed behind with just 5% of the vote.

Biden's absence from the ballot was a result of a calendar dispute between the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and state officials. The DNC had attempted to move the first-in-the-nation primary to South Carolina, but New Hampshire refused to comply due to state law mandating that its primary be held at least a week before any other state. To counter Biden's decision, state Democratic leaders launched the “Write-in Biden” initiative, which involved placing volunteers at polling places, putting up signs, and sending out mail to instruct New Hampshire Democrats on how to write in Biden's name.

Longtime Democratic strategists feared that Biden's absence from the ballot could lead to a repeat of the 1968 primary when then-President Lyndon B. Johnson won a narrower-than-expected victory over Sen. Eugene McCarthy after not being listed on the ballot. However, Biden's win represented a significant improvement from four years ago when he came in fifth place with only 8% of the vote.

Biden's victory likely spells the end of the road for Rep. Dean Phillips, who has been a vocal critic of the president. Phillips, who had invested $5 million of his own money into his campaign, argued that Biden is too old for office and lacks the support to defeat GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. Despite his criticism, Phillips acknowledged that Biden is a good man but believes that both he and Trump should be retired by now.

In a surprising turn of events, a fake robocall impersonating President Biden circulated in New Hampshire, urging Democratic voters not to participate in the primary. The call, which sounded like Biden's voice, claimed that voting in the primary would only benefit Republicans and encouraged voters to save their vote for the November general election. The New Hampshire Justice Department is currently investigating the matter, and the Biden campaign has labeled it as "deep fake disinformation" aimed at harming Biden, suppressing votes, and damaging democracy.

On the Republican side, the 2024 New Hampshire primary is set to take place with only two candidates left competing for the state's GOP delegates. Former President Donald Trump holds a double-digit lead over former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, but many polls were conducted before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race. The results of the primary will influence the trajectory of the GOP nomination race, and a strong finish from Haley could challenge Trump's frontrunner status.

New Hampshire Republicans have 22 delegates up for grabs, and while they are not winner-take-all, any candidate who receives over 10% of the statewide primary vote will be awarded delegates. Haley, even if she loses to Trump, is expected to receive some delegates. The GOP nomination will ultimately be decided at the Republican National Convention in July, where the candidate with the majority of delegates will be declared the party's nominee.

As for the Democrats, New Hampshire's delegates will not be awarded in the primary due to a dispute between the state and the DNC over the election date. President Biden also protested the primary date and chose not to have his name on the ballot. Democratic candidates like Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson will be on the ballot, but Biden is still expected to win. The party may decide to seat New Hampshire's delegates at the convention, but as of now, none will be awarded in Tuesday's primary.

Overall, the New Hampshire primary has been filled with surprises, from Biden's victory despite not being on the ballot to the fake robocall attempting to suppress Democratic votes. The results of the primary will undoubtedly impact the trajectory of both the Democratic and Republican nomination races.