Republicans are slamming the Democratic Party for removing Iowa from its prized first-in-the-nation position on the presidential primary schedule, charging the Left with disremembering Midwesterners by doing so.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) described the decision to remove Iowa from the top spot and off the early voting calendar as unfortunate, adding that Republicans should not follow Democrats’ example and instead instead maintain their primary schedule as is. On Friday, the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee approved a new early voting schedule that will substitute South Carolina for the state in 2024.
On Fox News Sunday, Ernst said, “Democrats have basically given middle America the middle finger.”
Democrats have been considering updating the lineup for years, but when the 2020 Iowa caucuses were hampered by technical issues that prolonged the vote count for several days, the discussion gained new traction. Democrats also complained that Iowa was no longer representative of the American people due of its lack of diversity.
President Joe Biden unveiled his eagerly awaited proposal for the 2024 presidential primary calendar on Thursday, ahead of a vote on the modifications. He asked that South Carolina be chosen to host the first presidential primary, with Nevada and New Hampshire following one week later, Georgia coming next, and Michigan coming last. The plan, which the DNC panel endorsed on Friday, completely eliminates Iowa from the equation while introducing a fifth state.
The lineup is anticipated to be set, but the whole DNC will need to vote on the nomination schedule sometime early in the next year.
The four-state lineup of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada for the Republican National Committee’s presidential primary elections was maintained after a vote earlier this year.
