A South Carolina Shake-up?🗳

Greetings to all of the Watchers on the Wall! 

The South may rise again….in Democratic politics. President Joe Biden is suggesting that the Democratic presidential primary calendar be changed to allow South Carolinians to vote first and then have elections in Georgia and Michigan occur much earlier, as they are swing states. Iowa’s standing as an early state would be gone as it wouldn’t have its primary until much later. 👀

Word of Biden's proposal came out…ahead of a Democratic Party gathering to vote to shake up the order of states on the 2024 nomination calendar. The President is calling for South Carolina to go first [because it is] a state with a sizable Black population, which notably turned around his fortunes in the 2020 race. [South Carolina would be] followed in the early window by New Hampshire and Nevada, then Georgia and Michigan. His plan…was revealed to party members but not released publicly [initially]... Scott Brennan, an Iowan and member of the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee, confirmed the proposed changes. 

~NPR

Presidential candidates have been testing their candidacy with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire for decades, and both states have predominantly white populations.  In his proposal, Biden spoke about the diversity of the Democratic party and indicated that was one of the reasons for the suggested changes. Additionally, the President seeks to discontinue the use of caucuses as part of the official nominating process and this change would run afoul of Iowa’s current nominating procedures. Lastly, the President urged the Rules and Bylaws Committee, who have been coordinating the proposal process, to reexamine the primary calendar every four years to make sure that the values and diversity of the Democratic party are accurately reflected. The DNC will vote on whether to adopt these new guidelines next year. 👏🏾

Watch Night News will continue to deliver a Diaspora-inspired perspective on news, history, and culture to your inbox every night. Interestingly, there has been a heightened level of dissatisfaction in recent years when it comes to Iowa (and New Hampshire) having the top two spots on the presidential nominating calendar; many Democrats don’t understand why they continue to have their contests first when the populations look nothing like the coalition required for Democrats to win and it fails to demonstrate the party’s commitment to racial diversity and delivering results for minority voters. Have a good weekend everyone! 😁