Democrats make South Carolina first presidential primary voting state

The Democratic National Committee on Saturday officially dethroned Iowa and New Hampshire from the status they have enjoyed for decades leading off the presidential primary, ratifying president Joe Biden’s recommendation for the 2024 calendar.

South Carolina will now kick things off for Democrats, with Michigan — and potentially Georgia — joining the early states in the biggest shakeup of the presidential primary in years, while Nevada will go second.

New Hampshire could go on the same day as Nevada if its Republican legislators and governor change a state law. Georgia, too, will need cooperation from Republican officials to take advantage of the new slot now available to them. 

Republicans are sticking with the traditional roles for Iowa and New Hampshire for their presidential primary in 2024, but Democrats have for years been looking to promote more diverse states.

“This calendar does what is long overdue,” said DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison. “It puts Black voters at the front of the process in South Carolina. It keeps Nevada, where Latinos have been building power… And it adds Michigan, the heartland, where unions built the middle class of this nation. And Georgia, the forefront of the new South.” 

“The Democratic Party looks like America,” Harrison added, “And so does this proposal.”

The new calendar puts South Carolina first on Feb. 3, 2024, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, then Georgia on Feb. 13, and Michigan on Feb. 27. After that, any state is free to schedule their primary when they want.

The party finally exerted the political will to shake up the status quo after Iowa botched their 2020 caucuses, which delayed results for days, and as the state shifted further into the Republican column. 

The calendar is still not final, however, since it is now up to the states to change their primary dates to comply. South Carolina, Nevada and Michigan have already codified their position, while the others have not.

Iowa and New Hampshire…