(Philadelphia) The National Committee of the Democratic Party (DNC) officially approved Sunday a major reorganization of the calendar of the primaries of the party, a proposal of the American president Joe Biden, which should be favorable to him in the event that he seeks a second term.
At a conference in Philadelphia, the DNC approved a proposal that will see South Carolina kick off the Democratic primaries next year. A change that will give more weight to African Americans in the choice of the party’s candidate for the White House.
For years, the predominantly white rural state of Iowa and New Hampshire have been the focus of attention, kicking off the Democratic primaries every four years.
But Mr. Biden in December suggested getting the ball rolling for the primaries in the southern state of South Carolina, which has a large African-American population.
The committee then approved the proposal in a show of hands, with only members representing Iowa and New Hampshire voting against, before it was put to a vote this month by the full party leadership.
Before the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Biden had suffered several failures in the primaries of Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, before winning a very large victory in South Carolina which had allowed him to turn the tide and be finally chosen to challenge Donald Trump.
Next year, the first Democratic primary will be held on February 3 in South Carolina, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on February 6, Georgia on February 13 and Michigan on February 27.
If it is very likely that Mr. Biden will seek a second term, the latter has not yet formalized his candidacy.
For its part, the Republican Party still plans to hold its first primary in Iowa in 2024.