Nevada is one step closer to becoming the first state in the nation to hold a presidential primary in an election year, although there are several factors play that could further shake up the process.
The state Senate passed a bill by a 15-6 vote on Monday that would make Nevada’s presidential caucus, typically the third contest in a presidential nominating process, into a primary.
If the legislation becomes law, moving Nevada’s contest up to the first Tuesday in February, then the state’s primary would threaten New Hampshire’s century-old tradition of having the first one in the nation each election cycle.
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Iowa has been the first state in the nation to weigh in on presidential nominees, with its caucuses that take place in early February, but that could change, too.
The Democratic National Committee ruled for the 2020 election that four states would be allowed to hold early nominating contests, in the order of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.
The rules for 2024 will likely be different if Nevada secures its spot to be first, paving the way to move Iowa and New Hampshire down in favor of the Silver State, according to a report by WMUR 9 of New Hampshire.
The Republican National Committee allowed the same four states to hold their contests in February 2020, though no specific order was set.
Both parties’ rules and bylaws committees, which set the nominating schedule for 2024, are expected to meet later this summer.
There is also a push to have South Carolina move up in the process.
The bid to make Nevada the first state to hold a primary stems from Nevada Democrats and a campaign led by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Supporters say Nevada holds a more diverse population that more closely reflects the demographics of the nation as a whole and would result in a better opportunity for presidential candidates to test their chances than in Iowa or New Hampshire, which have largely white populations.
“It’s time for Nevada to take its rightful place, not just first in the West but in the nation, as a diverse state, a state with diverse issues,” said Nevada Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson, a Democrat who sponsored the bill.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner said that if the Nevada bill is signed, it could force him to move up his state’s primary, given state law dictates that its primary must happen within seven days of the date that any other state holds a similar election.
“Our law hasn’t changed,” Gardner told Fox News. “I’ll follow the law like I always have — like the oath of office I take says.”
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The Nevada bill, which cleared the state Senate less than a week after being passed by the House, still needs the signature of Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and the support from the national committees of both major parties in order for calendars to be set for the state-by-state nominating contests.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Sisolak’s office for comment.
