The Democratic National Committee has drafted a proposal that could oust the Iowa caucus from its position as the first presidential contest during the election season.
The proposed changes would require any states that wish to hold their Democratic presidential primaries before the first Tuesday of March to apply for a waiver, the Des Moines Register reported. Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina have traditionally held their primaries before this date and wouldn’t be guaranteed one of the five waivers from the DNC to continue the practice.
IOWA GOP ‘DEFINITELY’ HOLDING 2024 CAUCUS AND EXPECTS CONTEST TO GO FIRST
Some Democrats have long wanted to dislodge Iowa from its opening role in presidential politics. They argue the state is not diverse enough to represent Democrats and that the caucus system disenfranchises many would-be participants. And Iowa is in the political doghouse after its debacle of a 2020 Democratic caucus, which is one of the reasons the DNC is reconsidering its first-in-the-nation status. The Democrats were plagued by technical problems with reporting the vote totals, which delayed Pete Buttigieg’s narrow victory over Sen. Bernie Sanders by three days.
Criticism of the rural state’s choice spot in the lineup stretches further back than the last presidential election, with detractors arguing that its lack of racial diversity doesn’t reflect the U.S. at large and may give a candidate favored by white people an unwarranted advantage.
Should the new rules be adopted by the party, they would take effect on April 15, and states interested in claiming one of the five early-bird spots would have 28 days to submit their applications. Iowa is required by state law to hold caucuses, or community meetings, to determine their candidates rather than individual ballots.
The state’s Republican Party has said it will likely keep its caucus in its traditional early position even if the Democrats can’t do the same, despite the two parties’ past of working together to hold the caucuses on the same day. States don’t always hold the two parties’ primaries on the same day.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I strongly believe that the continued health of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status is linked to both of our parties being able to start our presidential nominating process right here in Iowa,” said Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
The DNC and the Iowa Democratic Party did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
