SC could move up, stay put or miss out as DNC weighs overhaul of presidential calendar
For the first time in decades, the Democratic National Committee will review — and potentially remake — its presidential nominating calendar, a possible overhaul that will determine whether South Carolina continues to be an influential proving ground for how the party picks its presidential candidates.
On Wednesday night, members of the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to adopt a plan that outlines how states will be considered for the coveted early primary positions.
Under the resolution, any state can submit an application and make their case for why they think their voters should weigh in first on which candidate they want to see in the White House.
The new plan effectively throws out the traditional presidential nominating calendar for Democrats, which has historically put the Iowa caucuses first, followed by primaries in New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
For South Carolina Democrats, their first-in-the-South primary position is no longer a guarantee.
The proposal removes all four states from that early voting window and requires them — along with any other state that wants to hold early contests before the rest of the country — to apply for a new waiver.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson confirmed Thursday that the S.C. Democratic party will apply to be one of the early primary states for the 2024 election cycle.
“We’re going to try and do everything we can,” said Robertson, who described the DNC’s plan as “a very good attempt” at creating a process that gives every state the chance to make their case as to why their voters should weigh in on presidential candidates first.
“But I also think that South Carolina has a good case to make,” Robertson said.
He pointed to the state’s recent track record of picking the Democratic Party’s eventual presidential nominees and the smaller size of the state, which is appealing for campaigns.
“We don’t want to bankrupt the eventual nominee, and we don’t want to create a circumstance where only candidates who have personal means to campaign win our nomination,” Robertson said. “I mean, I think that South Carolina’s history in nominating our candidate who eventually becomes president (of the) United States speaks for itself. And we look forward to having this conversation.”
But Robertson demurred when asked if he thought South Carolina could see its primary contest moved up higher on the calendar, and whether it could potentially usurp Iowa’s first-in-the-nation position.
“I’m not going to get into all that,” Robertson said, reiterating that he welcomed the chance for South Carolina to make its case.
In Democratic presidential nominating contests, South Carolina has often acted as a demographic counterweight to the mostly white Iowa and New Hampshire results. It is estimated that about 60% of South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary voters are Black.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who hails from South Carolina and is a past chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party, declined to comment.
As South Carolina Democrats prepare to make their case, Republican leaders in the state said they are not interested or expecting to see any movement in the GOP presidential nominating calendar.
“When it comes to the presidential nomination process, keeping the S.C. GOP’s first-in-the-South status is our top priority, and we’ve been able to work with other states to maintain the current schedule,” said S.C. Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick. “It allows our voters to get a better look and have more access to presidential candidates than the rest of the country. With the way Democrats are plunging in the polls, you would think the presidential primary timeline would be the least of their problems right now.”
Gibbs Knotts, a political scientist at the College of Charleston who co-authored a book about the history and role of the state’s presidential primaries, said Democratic presidential primary voters in South Carolina are often more moderate than Democrats in other parts of the country, too, making the state something of an ideological gut-check for Democrats.
The resolution, which was obtained and reviewed by The State newspaper, explains how up to five states will be considered for lead-off positions, an increase from the traditional four.
According to the resolution, states will be considered based on three main criteria: diversity, competitiveness and feasibility. In further explaining what the DNC will be looking for, the resolution put an emphasis on racial, ethnic, geographic and economic diversity, along with labor representation.
The resolution also noted it would be interested in states’ abilities to run an election along with raising issues about general election competitiveness.
Robertson said the S.C. Democratic Party will be submitting its letter of intent ahead of the May 6 deadline. A formal application will be due on June 3. Robertson said the state party would also have to make a presentation to the committee in late June.
The Rules and Bylaws Committee is slated to meet again on May 18, where members could further discuss what information they want from states before making a decision.
Final approval on which states go first is set for a vote at the Democrats’ summer meeting.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 2:42 PM.
