Feb. 4 (UPI) — The Democratic National Committee voted Saturday to change the party’s presidential primary calendar and give more diverse states more influence in the process.
Under the new changes, Iowa is no longer the party’s first caucus. Instead South Carolina will kick off the 2024 campaign, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada, then Georgia and Michigan.
“Folks, the Democratic party looks like America and so does this proposal,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said ahead of the vote.
Many in New Hampshire have expressed concern with the changes. The Granite State has long held the first primary as a matter of state law.
“They could say June, they could say next week, they could say in five years, but it’s not going to matter,” said former Gov. John Lynch, according to the New York Times. “It’s like asking New York to move the Statue of Liberty from New York to Florida. I mean, that’s not going to happen. And it’s not going to happen that we’re going to change state law.”
Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, spoke favorably of the change, saying it was time to shake things up.
“We are overdue in changing this primary calendar,” said Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, who has led her state’s effort to join the early window for almost two decades. “No one state should have a lock on going first.”
The Republican National Committee has retained its lineup of early states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Some logistical challenges in Georgia will also need to be worked out. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said that both parties need to hold their elections on the same day to minimize costs.