Democrats hear Nev., NH, Colo. pitches to lead presidential calendar
- Officials from Colorado, Nevada and New Hampshire pitched the committee on why they should go first.
- Sixteen states and Puerto Rico will present before the Rules and Bylaws committee this week.
- The committee plans to meet in early August to select the slate of early voting states.
WASHINGTON — Democratic officials from Nevada and New Hampshire made aggressive pitches for their states to kick off the presidential nominating process Wednesday, starting two days of hearings that could dramatically reshape the way America chooses presidents.
State party officials from Nevada shared a slickly produced promotional video touting its broad diversity and voter access laws. New Hampshire’s two Democratic senators helped make their case as staffers passed around goodie bags to the committee members. And both states shared glossy booklets highlighting their best arguments.
Members of the Democratic National Committee will consider those pitches and more over two days as they reshuffle the presidential nominating calendar, fundamentally rethinking which voices the party will elevate first in the long, arduous process of picking a president.
The result, they say, will better align the party with its base — and boost Democrats’ chances of taking the White House in 2024 and beyond.
DNC Rules and Bylaws committee co-chair Jim Roosevelt told USA TODAY that all of the states presenting “are very focused on it, are preparing very thoroughly, and are making strong cases.”
For years, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada had been allowed by the national party to hold their presidential caucuses and primaries before the rest of the country.
Presidential candidates rewarded those states with outsized attention, holding events from big cities to small towns, even as critics said those voters represented only a small slice of the nation.
But in April, the committee voted to strip those four states of their waivers and invite any state party that wants to hold an early contest to submit applications.
Who wants to go first?
To try to ensure their nominating process reflects the party’s broader values, the committee said it intends to prioritize states that offer a competitive general election landscape, have a diverse electorate and are able hold an effective contest.
Eighteen states, Puerto Rico and the group representing Democrats living abroad submitted written applications. Of those, 16 states and Puerto Rico were invited to make in-person presentations this week. They include:
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Oklahoma
- Puerto Rico
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Washington
The committee expects to meet in early August to select up to five states to hold the first Democratic primaries or caucuses in the nominating process.
Previously:Iowa Democrats must apply to hold first-in-the-nation caucus after DNC opens nominating calendar
Nevada, Colorado, New Hampshire kick off presentations
In their presentation to the committee Wednesday, Nevada officials repeatedly emphasized the state’s diversity.
“The state that goes first matters…,” said Rebecca Lambe, a Democratic strategist and former adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “That’s why we believe it’s so important for the first state to look like America.”
People of color represent a majority of Nevada’s population, which is the third-most diverse in the country, according to U.S. Census data. Iowa is the sixth-least diverse state in the country, and New Hampshire is the fourth-least diverse.
Presenters highlighted Nevada’s voter access laws, which include same-day voter registration, two weeks of early voting and a universal vote by mail process. The group also touted the state’s decision to move from a caucus to a presidential primary, beginning in 2024.
New Hampshire officials highlighted their deep history of hosting presidential candidates, emphasizing their ability to create a level playing field regardless of whether candidates have “$10,000 in their bank account or $100 million in their bank account.”
“I’m not saying every state party isn’t able to do that,” New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley said. “But we do it really well.”
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., suggested that changing New Hampshire’s place in the lineup could negatively affect her colleague, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, who is in an ultra competitive re-election battle this fall.
“We’re seeing a growing narrative that blames Democrats for jeopardizing New Hampshire’s first in the nation status,” she said. “With such a tight Senate race and a newly drawn congressional map, I fear stripping New Hampshire of its long-held position could be consequential.”
In a question-and-answer session, committee members pressed the New Hampshire officials about how the state would respond if the committee decides to move it later in the process.
New Hampshire has a state law requiring the secretary of…
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