SWING STATES

Biden Calls to Ditch Iowa and Make South Carolina Democrats’ First Primary

Between a chaotic Iowa caucus in 2020 and the state’s continued lurch right, Democrats are looking to replace their first Midwest primary and diversify their early slate.

President Joe Biden is pushing to make South Carolina the first state in the Democratic Party’s primary slate—pushing Iowa out of the mix in favor of a new top five that would include New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan, according to The Washington Post. The reshuffling comes as Iowa’s swing-state status has faded, with the state leaning Republican in recent years, while South Carolina and Michigan remain key battleground states. Biden scored a key 2020 primary victory in the Palmetto State as well, which saved his campaign from irrelevancy and helped to propel him to another series of big wins on Super Tuesday. The shift to South Carolina as the Democrats first primary state would also give a greater voice to voters of color—with Iowa’s demographic breakdown standing at a stark 90% white. “We must ensure that voters of color have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process and throughout the entire early window,” Biden wrote in a letter obtained by The Post, which was addressed to the party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.