The new Democratic presidential calendar got a fresh boost of support ahead of a final vote before the Democratic National Committee this weekend, after the DNC’s Southern Caucus publicly backed the plan this week.
Eight members of the DNC’s Southern Caucus leadership team — a mix of state party chairs and DNC members from North Carolina to Texas — signed on to a statement, obtained first by POLITICO, endorsing President Joe Biden’s proposed changes, which include elevating South Carolina to the first-in-the-nation primary slot and eliminating Iowa from the process.
The full DNC will vote on the proposal on Saturday in Philadelphia.
“The past few elections have made it abundantly clear that the South is the new Democratic battleground, and by starting the presidential nominating process in South Carolina and incorporating Georgia into the early lineup, our party will only strengthen its commitment to these critical voters,” the statement reads in part. “The road to the White House runs through the South, and this calendar will ensure that the Democratic nominee is fortified for the general election.”
The statement is another sign of Democratic Party leaders smoothing out the path for Biden’s plan ahead of Saturday’s vote. The changes would remove Iowa and its caucuses from their longtime first-place status and challenge New Hampshire’s place as the first primary, though it would still be behind just one other state in South Carolina.
There’s still some pushback from New Hampshire Democrats about their new position in the order — splitting the second place slot with Nevada, ahead of new early states Michigan and Georgia. And a few Democrats, including Bernie Sanders’ former campaign manager Faiz Shakir, have raised concerns about putting South Carolina, a solidly red state, in first place.
In an op-ed, Shakir suggested putting North Carolina first, but North Carolina Democrats did not apply to be a part of the early window and one of North Carolina’s DNC members, John Verdejo, signed on to the statement of support for South Carolina.
The post Dems’ new primary calendar nabs support from Southern DNC members appeared first on Politico.
