Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) defended his party's dramatic shakeup of its presidential primary calendar which elevated his home state to the first primary slot.
On Saturday, the Democratic National Committee overwhelmingly backed the primary rearrangement during its winter meeting, dethroning Iowa from its nearly five-decade reign as the No. 1 state in an overhaul championed by President Joe Biden ahead of his speculated 2024 run.
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"There was a time when it was great for Iowa and New Hampshire and all of that to be first but the fact of the matter is, our party should reflect its demographics. And I think that South Carolina and Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, also be brought into the mix, because you got African Americans, and then South Carolina is as rural as Iowa," Clyburn said on MSNBC's The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart.
"I think you should always update your policies and your procedures based upon the realities of the times in which you live...the fact of the matter is our party should reflect its demographics" @RepJamesClyburn on the Democratic primary calendar shake-up #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/pRSYWvBIfa
— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) February 5, 2023
Clyburn threw Biden's 2020 presidential campaign a lifeline with his endorsement that helped pave the way for a breakthrough victory in South Carolina after a string of primary losses. Biden appeared poised for defeat, but his victory in the Palmetto State helped serve as a springboard for a political comeback.
Democrats mulled an overhaul of its primary calendar following a software snafu in Iowa that delayed full results for days during the 2020 primary. Iowa had ascended to the party's leadoff state in 1972 and remains the first stop in the Republican primary. Clyburn echoed other backers of the switch in pointing to South Carolina's more diverse demographics than Iowa, which is 90% white.
Many analysts have noted that the move catapults Biden's 2020 lifeline state to the foremost primary state, likely sewing the seeds for an easier reelection pathway should he choose to vie for a second term. The first primary state plays an outsized role in weeding out candidates, making it key in determining the party's nominee.
"We have to understand, the vast majority of African Americans in this country still live in the South. They live in the rural south. And so this is all about recognizing that and giving credence to all of that," Clyburn added.
Like Iowa, South Carolina has a propensity for voting red, which could make it optimal for the selection of a formidable general election candidates.
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South Carolina's primary will take place on Feb. 3, followed shortly by New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13, and Michigan on Feb. 27. However, the move is facing a few obstacles. New Hampshire law mandates the state come before others and officials there have indicated they may hold their contest earlier anyways, according to Politico.
Iowa notably holds a caucus election as its first in the nation primary event. New Hampshire technically held the first in the nation primary election in accordance with state law.