Democrats Kick Iowa To The Curb In New Primary Calendar

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 02:01 pm

The Democratic presidential nomination process will no longer begin with states that do not look like many Democrats as the new primary calendar highlights diverse states.

The New York Times reported:

For years, Democratic nominating contests have begun with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, a matter of immense pride in those states, and a source of political identity for many highly engaged residents.

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But amid forceful calls for a calendar that better reflects the racial diversity of the Democratic Party and the country — and after Iowa’s 2020 meltdown led to a major delay in results — Democrats endorsed a proposal that would start the 2024 Democratic presidential primary circuit on Feb. 3 in South Carolina, the state that resuscitated Mr. Biden’s once-flailing candidacy. It would be followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and then Michigan on Feb. 27.

African-American and Hispanic Democrats will now play a much larger role in the primary process than under the old calendar. For years, momentum has been growing for Iowa to lose its first-in-the-nation status. The complete failure of the 2020 Iowa caucuses pretty much sealed the deal.

Democratic candidates will now appeal to African-American voters in South Carolina instead of trudging through the snow to meet rural white farmers in Iowa. Black voters in Detroit and Atlanta will now get a larger role in determining who will represent the Democratic party at the top of the presidential ticket.

These changes don’t mean much for 2024 as President Biden is likely to run virtually unopposed for the Democratic nomination, but Iowa bounces for candidates who can’t win in the rest of the country are a thing of the past, as Democrats make a move that reflects the future of their party.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association