This week the White House denied that proposed changes to the Democrats' presidential primary calendar were meant to reward key supporters of President Joe Biden like South Carolina and its Democratic representative, Jim Clyburn.
The Democratic National Committee is considering changing the 2024 primary schedule, moving South Carolina to first on the calendar while dropping Iowa and New Hampshire to later.
Biden's 2020 campaign took flight after a key win in South Carolina, despite his finishing badly in both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, due in no small measure to the endorsement of Clyburn.
"That is not what that is," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday. "It had nothing to do with the primary results. And I can definitively say that. The president has been very clear on making sure we meet what the country looks like."
South Carolina has a larger percentage of minorities than Iowa, supporters of the change within the committee have said.
The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee approved the change last week after getting a letter from Biden requesting the measure to ensure the first votes in the election cycle come from a more diverse population that represents the country.
"Just like my administration, the Democratic Party has worked hard to reflect the diversity of America — but our nominating process does not," Biden's letter read. "For 50 years, the first month of our presidential nominating process has been a treasured part of our democratic process, but it is time to update the process for the 21st century. I am committed to working with the DNC to get this done."
In addition to Biden, several past chairs of the DNC also wrote to the committee expressing support for the changes.
Clyburn said during an interview on CNN Tuesday that he was surprised to learn his state could end up becoming the new first primary state for Democrats.
"I was stunned. Really. A bit surprised," he said. "Every candidate that's won South Carolina has gone on to be our nominee and get together majority of the vote in the general election."
The two Democratic senators from New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, have both expressed disappointment with the decision and vow to fight it and keep their spot in line.
"I strongly oppose the president's deeply misguided proposal; but make no mistake, New Hampshire's law is clear, and our primary will continue to be first in the nation," Hassan said in a statement to ABC News. "Because of our state's small size, candidates from all walks of life — not just the ones with the largest war chests — are able to compete and engage in the unique retail politics that are a hallmark of our state."
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