The Democratic National Party approved President Joe Biden’s plan to overhaul the primaries earlier this year, formalizing Democrats‘ intentions to shake up their party’s calendar to give the president an early advantage.
However, several states are openly rebelling against the switch up, with state officials refusing to comply with the changes that DNC committee members voted on in February.
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The Iowa Democratic Party state committee voted on Saturday to approve the in-person portion of their presidential caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024, the same day as Republicans. Biden booted Iowa from the top of the presidential primary calendar, replacing it with South Carolina. In an early plan, the DNC found the Iowa Democratic Party was not complying with the national party rules, by including a mail-in caucus for the presidential primary. Iowa Democrats moved forward, looking to hold onto their first-in-the-nation status.
“We are continuing to work with the Iowa Democratic Party to navigate a system that complies with our calendar,” Jim Roosevelt, co-chair for Rules and Bylaws Committee in the Democratic National Committee, said. “We understand that the Iowa party will have additional updates for us ahead of the October RBC meeting.”
Also hoping to keep its first-in-the-nation presidential primary status, New Hampshire Democrats and the DNC have been feuding over the Biden-backed rules. Under the DNC plan, New Hampshire and Nevada would follow South Carolina, with the former state contests taking place on the same day. New Hampshire has refused to comply with the DNC, missing multiple deadlines and deadline extensions, with the third one issued Thursday, set by the national Democrats to file a plan that follows the 2024 presidential primary schedule.
“New Hampshire will schedule its presidential primary independent of what is discussed at the DNC meeting,” Secretary of State David Scanlan told the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
Georgia, another battleground state, is expected to follow those states in the DNC’s plan, with its primary slated for Feb. 13, 2024. Republicans rebuked the DNC, ordering the state’s primary date for May 12, 2024.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger set Georgia’s primary date for March 12, defying the DNC’s wishes to make the state the fourth on the presidential nominating calendar.
“That March 12th date maximizes Georgia’s influence and paints the greatest economic impact while ensuring that no party loses delegates and our county election officials are set up for success,” Raffensperger said per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May.
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The DNC’s Rules Committee did not give Georgia an extension to comply with the 2024 primary, unlike New Hampshire.
“Republicans wouldn’t budge. It does not seem to make sense to extend the waiver at this point,” Rules Committee co-chair Minyon Moore said of Georgia.
