Five states that could take Iowa's spot on the early primary calendar

[brooklynite]

The Hill

Michigan’s status as a top general election battleground could work to its advantage, some Democrats say.
It would also satisfy the preference among some in the party for a midwestern replacement to Iowa, while adding racial, geographic and socioeconomic diversity.

Minnesota is also thought to want an earlier spot, with its populist and independent streaks making it another important midwestern contest worth watching.

Democrats in New Jersey also want to be added to the early schedule, pointing to the vast variety of people who call the Garden State home.

Biden’s unexpected presidential win in Arizona has put the state on the radar in a way Democrats didn’t expect.

State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski is openly campaigning to move the state up, touting its “broad diversity” in traditionally underrepresented communities like Asian American and Pacific Islanders and Latino residents and members of over two dozen indigenous tribes.

I was told that the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee was approached by NJ, and the response was, politely, "not a chance". Between NYC and Philadelphia, the media costs would knock out any campaign that wasn't well-funded at the outset.

[AZProgressive]

1. I vote for Arizona to be the first state

Biden’s win in Arizona wasn’t a surprise to me.

[Jilly_in_VA]

2. I wish

they would just go to regional primaries, with ranked-choice voting. I'm really tired of states with tiny, mostly-white populations "making up our minds" for us. That's bovine excrement of the stinkiest kind. (Although the Iowa caucuses have gotten a little interesting since younger voters got more involved, and Iowa has a pretty big Hispanic population, it's still an awfully white and mostly Republican state.) I realize my idea is just a pipe dream though and will never happen, at least not in my lifetime.

[brooklynite]

4. Neither works...

REGIONAL PRIMARIES: You're limiting the pool of candidates to those with the name recognition and war chests to compete in a large area; and you're eliminating the ability of lesser known but compelling candidates (Pete Buttigieg for example) to catch fire through retail campaigning.

RANKED-CHOICE VOTING: Not applicable, because the outcome isn't a single candidate. Multiple candidates win delegates through proportional representation.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Right now NJ is near the very end

I don't think we will be included - but there are benefits. You can drive 78 (PA border) to NYC, NY border in 50 minutes. Its an hour to 3 hours down the shore. Central NJ to northern NJ up 287 - 1 hour.

IE - the physical landmass would take a candidate from horse country, to hip shore, to old fogey shore, into Newark, up to the hillbillies - in very short trips.

We are also extremely diverse, with a large population density of asians and latinos.

You could say the same thing (physical landmass) about New Hampshire -but at the end of they day - they don't 'look' like us. Also - we consistently go blue in Senate and Presidential races.