Biden endorses major shakeup of Democratic nominating process that puts South Carolina first
President Biden on Thursday endorsed a major shakeup of the Democratic presidential nominating process that would make South Carolina the first state to vote.
Multiple outlets reported that Biden suggested South Carolina be followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on the same day, then Georgia and finally Michigan. Iowa, the traditional first state on the nominating calendar would be knocked out of first five altogether.
In a separate letter to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) made public, Biden emphasized the first contests should represent the diversity of the party and country.
Biden said in the letter that voters of color must have a voice in choosing the party’s nominee much earlier than they currently do. He said someone should not be the Democratic nominee and win a general election unless they show they have “overwhelming support” from voters of color, including Black, Brown and Asian and Pacific Islander individuals.
“Too often over the past fifty years, candidates have dropped out or had their candidacies marginalized by the press and pundits because of poor performances in small states early in the process before voters of color cast a vote,” he wrote.
The DNC is set to meet Friday to discuss the order in which the states should vote to choose the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024.
Iowa and New Hampshire have for decades been the first two states to vote, but some within the party have long called a shift toward prioritizing more diverse states earlier.
Biden said the early voting states should reflect the party and country’s economic, geographic and demographic diversity, adding that union households should be represented in greater numbers than before. He said urban, suburban and rural voters should continue to have strong representation in early voting states.
Biden also called for the DNC to no longer allow caucuses, which he said are “inherently anti-participatory.” He said caucuses require voters to go vote in public and spend significant amounts of time to cast a vote, disadvantaging hourly workers and anyone who does not have the flexibility to go to a voting location at a set time.
“It should be our party’s goal to rid the nominating process of restrictive, anti-worker caucuses,” he said.
He said the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee should review the voting calendar every four years to ensure it represents the values and diversity of the party and country.
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