Biden to Dems: Scrap caucuses, promote diversity in primary
President Joe Biden says Democrats should move past “restrictive” caucuses and embrace diversity in the order of its presidential nominating calendar, dealing a major blow to Iowa’s decades-long status as the leadoff spot in the process
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.President Joe Biden says Democrats should move past “restrictive” caucuses and embrace diversity in the order of its presidential nominating calendar, dealing a major blow to Iowa's decadeslong status to hold its leadoff spot in the process.
In a letter to the rulemaking arm of the Democratic National Committee on Thursday, Biden does not mention specific states he'd like to see go first. But he notes that Black voters for decades “have been the backbone of the Democratic Party" and says it's “time to stop taking these voters for granted.”
The expectation is that the Democratic panel will vote to replace Iowa with South Carolina, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity before the official vote.
His letter comes as the Democratic rules committee gathers in Washington on Friday to consider shaking up the presidential primary calendar starting in 2024.
Biden's letter was written on personal stationery and did not carry the White House seal.
If the rulemaking committee takes up Biden’s recommendation, Iowa would be knocked from a position it has held for more than four decades after technical meltdowns marred results of the 2020 caucus and amid a larger party push to let a more diverse state go first.