Democrats push for Conn. to vote early in 2024 primaries
Connecticut Democrats are headed to Washington, D.C., this week to pitch national party officials on picking the state as one of the first to vote in the 2024 presidential primaries, and possibly in future elections.
The Democratic National Committee has received proposals from 20 states seeking to be among the early nominating contests. The party is contemplating the first major shift in decades in its early-state presidential lineup following the 2020 Iowa caucuses debacle and a desire to increase racial diversity among voters who get the first say.
State Rep. Stephanie Thomas, D-Norwalk, the party endorsed candidate for Secretary of the State, and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, will make Connecticut’s presentation to DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee Thursday afternoon.
“Connecticut really is a microcosm of the country as it currently exists,” Thomas said.
Connecticut’s pitch will focus on diversity — both in terms of race and ethnicity but also its geography featuring both urban, suburban, and rural areas, Thomas said. Its small size relative to other states makes it easier for presidential candidates to travel around and talk to voters, she said, and the state is served by the New York City media market, the largest in North America.
Nancy DiNardo, chair of the state’s Democratic Party, announced this spring that the party intended to compete for early-state status. If selected, Connecticut Democrats would have greater influence over their party’s pick for the country’s top job, she said. Currently, the state’s presidential primaries are held in April, DiNardo said, and by then the frontrunner has often become clear.
“Being an early state could engage people,” she said. “There’s an economic benefit to it too.”
Iowa, for example, could miss out on millions of dollars if it loses its first-inthe-nation
status, which draws national media attention and high profile visits to the state, filling up hotel rooms and bringing in increased revenue to restaurants and other businesses.
In addition to Connecticut, representatives from Nevada, Colorado, New Hampshire, Iowa, Washington, South Carolina, New
Jersey, Minnesota, George, Puerto Rico, Texas, Michigan, Oklahoma, Delaware,
Illinois, and Maryland are making presentations to the DNC committee.
New York, Nebraska, and Democrats Abroad, which represents American citizens who live and vote abroad, also submitted proposals but did not make the cut, according to the committee.
The committee is expected to provide a recommendation for a new presidential nominating schedule to the full DNC by July, according to reporting by Politico. The party is looking to balance racial, ethnic, and regional diversity and is also considering ballot access and states’ general election competitiveness.
Since 2008, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina have gone first. This spring, the DNC voted to fully reopen the nominating process, forcing Iowa and New Hampshire, which have occupied the first two spots for a halfcentury, among the other early states, to re-apply.
The remaking of presidential calendar was spurred in part by complaints from DNC members over Iowa’s 2020 Democratic caucuses, which was beleaguered by delayed results due to technical difficulties, and concerns that the state does not represent the party’s diversity.
In Connecticut, changing the presidential primary to an earlier date would require legislation approved by lawmakers and the governor.