Biden Changes his party’s Presidential nomination procedure
2023.02.02 08:17
Biden Changes his party’s Presidential nomination procedure
By Ray Johnson
Budrigannews.com – In a vote this week at the Democratic National Committee, officials from two important states vehemently oppose President Joe Biden’s plan to reshape the Democratic Party’s presidential nominating contest.
Biden wants the DNC to move South Carolina, a state with significantly more Black voters and the one that saved his 2020 presidential campaign, over Iowa, which has been the first state on the party’s calendar since 1972.
A week later, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, and the primaries in Georgia and Michigan would follow.
The Democratic Party’s decades-long effort to achieve a demographic balance is reflected in the planned promotion of Georgia and South Carolina, two predominantly white states that rejected him in 2020. It demonstrates the escalating influence of the diverse racial coalition that helped bring Biden to power.
Any potential Democratic primary challenger would be forced to face Biden in a series of matchups largely of his choosing as a result of the move, which is yet another clear indication that Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024.
According to interviews with a dozen members and senior leaders, the plan is anticipated to receive overwhelming support from the 483 voting members on Saturday. This is because the leadership of the DNC has spent the past couple of weeks whipping votes to ensure a strong showing of support for Biden.
It needs to be approved by a simple majority of the members, but Georgia and New Hampshire, two states that aren’t cooperating, have been given until June to comply. Democrats’ plans for a smooth ascension of Biden as the 2024 candidate are complicated by their opposition to the overhaul, which also requires approval from the Republican parties of the states.
The DNC’s three-day conference in Philadelphia, where Democrats will hold their 2024 convention, begins on Thursday, and potential repercussions are likely to be a major topic. Friday, Biden will speak at the conference.
Some Democrats say that the party should think about other options because they privately acknowledge that state officials in Georgia and New Hampshire are unlikely to change.
“Who, if not Georgia?,” One voting member rhetorically inquired. We need to ask, “Are we OK with our presidential nominations being decided by South Carolina and Michigan?”
In the Granite State, Republicans and Democrats alike have felt the impact of Biden’s push to move New Hampshire down the priority list for primary elections.
Since 1920, New Hampshire has held the first national primary, and its location on the calendar is ingrained in state laws. In strict terms, Iowa’s nomination contest is a caucus voting process rather than a primary.
In defiance of the potential changes, New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan did not attend the White House congressional ball in December.
One of the four 2020 Biden electors in the state, former House Speaker Steve Shurtleff, has signed a letter pleading with Biden to reconsider his plans and stated to a local television station that he is prepared to go even further.
He stated:
“If he should go so far as to take away the first-in-the-nation primary from the Granite State, I’ll look for another candidate before I support Joe Biden.”
FINISH HERE? Democrats would not be able to change the calendar without the assistance of the opposing party because Republicans control state government. Despite opposition from the national party, Iowa Democrats are likely to proceed with their early caucus, risking similar sanctions.
Democrats in Georgia want to move the date up on the calendar, but Republicans who control the state government must agree. Republicans Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, and Brad Raffensperger, secretary of state, have shown no desire to defy their national party and advance the calendar.
That is disappointing for state Democrats, who believe that Georgia has earned the right to the top spot following its electoral victories, which secured the party a majority in the U.S. Senate.
“For the past three years, Georgia has been the MVP of national politics. Van Johnson, the mayor of Savannah and a Georgia DNC delegate, stated, “All of the party’s legislative successes can be directly traced back to Georgia.”
