Dec 3, 2022; Washington, DC, USA; Joanne Dowdell, member from New Hampshire of the Democratic National Committee rules and bylaws committee, speaks with Carol Flower, a member from Arizona before a meeting regarding the order of the presidential nominating calendar and the fate of Iowa's first in the nation caucuses. The DNC may potentially elevate states like Michigan ahead of Iowa, which has traditionally held the first caucus in the nation.. Mandatory Credit: Josh Morgan-USA TODAY
News: Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee Meetings
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa caucuses and their outsize importance have largely been an exercise in myth-making. The idea was that candidates could earn a path to the White House by meeting voters in person, and earnest, civic-minded Midwesterners would actually stand for their candidate. As the caucuses have played out, the flaws have become increasingly glaring. First, the state’s Democrats botched the count in 2020, leaving an embarrassing muddle. But there were more. Since 2008, the state’s political makeup has changed dramatically, from a reliable swing state to solidly Republican. And with the Democratic Party increasingly becoming a party of diversity, Iowa’s lack of it left the state without much of a rationale for leading the way.
The Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm voted Friday to remove Iowa as the leadoff state in the presidential nominating order and replace it with South Carolina starting in 2024, a dramatic shakeup championed by President Joe Biden to better reflect the party’s deeply diverse electorate.
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