CALENDAR CHANGE

DNC Moves First Presidential Primary from Iowa to South Carolina

The 2024 Democrat primaries will now start in South Carolina as the party tosses Iowa out of the #1 spot it held for years prior.

The Democratic National Committee passed a historic vote Saturday to overhaul their presidential primaries calendar, moving the start of the 2024 primary circuit to South Carolina—away from its long-time home in Iowa. The vote was motivated by Biden’s calls to transform the Democrat primaries into a more inclusive process—in December, the President wrote a letter to the DNC arguing they “must ensure voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process.” Now, the first stops after South Carolina will include New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. Some Iowa Democrats have pushed back on this change, arguing their state is a more reliable choice to begin the primaries and that the new process may bring uncertainty. However, in 2020, Iowa saw massive delays and technical failures that took center stage during the primaries.