President Joe Biden told the Democratic National Committee Thursday that he prefers South Carolina be the first state to host a Party primary, bumping Iowa as the traditional first bellwether, the Washington Post reports.
Biden has a special affection for South Carolina: his win there in the 2020 primary–significantly boosted by the endorsement of esteemed Congressman Jim Clyburn of the state–catapulted Biden to the front of the Democratic field, pushing him to capture the nomination.
Biden also proposed moving the primaries for Michigan and Georgia earlier in the primary calender to increase the influence of Democrats in key swing states to shape the Party’s topline ticket, improving the likelihood of carrying the state in the general election. Critics have complained that Iowa being the first primary state skews the campaign for the nomination, given that Iowa is overwhelmingly white and conservative, two characteristics that don’t match Democratic demographics.