Republicans blasted the Democratic National Committee on Saturday for breaking a decadeslong tradition by removing the Iowa caucus from the beginning of the primary season.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) claimed the DNC no longer cared about voices in rural America after its latest shake up, which occurred during the party’s winter convention in Philadelphia.
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“[Today the] DNC officially pulled the rug out [from] Iowa Democrats by revoking its first in the nation status,” Grassley tweeted. “The Iowa caucuses were a decades long tradition of bipartisanship. It’s sad Dems don’t value the voice of rural America. Fortunately republicans will continue [to] carry the first in the nation mantle.”
2day DNC officially pulled rug out fr Iowa Democrats by revoking first in the nation status The Iowa caucuses were a decades long tradition of BIPARTISANSHIP it’s sad Dems don’t value the voice of rural America Fortunately republicans will continue 2carry 1st in the nation mantle
— Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 4, 2023
The party approved multiple changes to the Democratic primaries on Saturday, including restructuring the order of primaries. Iowa is normally the first contest in the country, sneaking in front of New Hampshire and its state law mandating it hold the nation’s first primary, by holding a caucus instead. South Carolina will now hold the honor for Democrats. Nevada and New Hampshire will follow with their primaries three days later, followed by Georgia and Michigan.
However, the new schedule isn’t set in stone.
New Hampshire Democrats were outraged at the initial proposal to strip them of their first-in-the-nation status, which has been enshrined in law. While the DNC voted to move the calendar, state party members might not give in so easily.
“The DNC did not give New Hampshire the first-in-the-nation primary, and it is not theirs to take away. This news is obviously disappointing, but we will be holding our primary first,” Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley said in December. “We have survived past attempts over the decades, and we will survive this.”
And the DNC faces problems in Georgia too, where the secretary of state, who is the top election official, is a Republican. Brad Raffensperger said he has no intention of changing his state’s calendar for Democrats unless Republicans move theirs as well, something they have not signaled they plan to do.
Democrats claim the new order better reflects Democratic voters by elevating states with a strong black and Hispanic population.
“The Democratic Party looks like America, and so does this proposal,” said DNC Chair Jamie Harrison. “This calendar does what is long overdue. It expands the number of voices in the early window, and it elevates diverse communities that are at the core of the Democratic Party.”
GOP Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also condemned Democrats for breaking with tradition, and accused them of causing chaos in Iowa and New Hampshire.
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“The DNC has decided to break a half-century precedent and cause chaos by altering their primary process, and ultimately abandoning millions of Americans in Iowa and New Hampshire,” McDaniel said in a statement.
The first Democratic primaries will be held in South Carolina on Feb. 3, 2024. No date for the GOP primaries have been set, but Iowa will still be first.
