A group of local mayors, state legislators, DNC delegates, and other leaders just released a letter urging the DNC to make the first presidential primary state one that’s both diverse and competitive in the general election -- like Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, or North Carolina.
Show solidarity and co-sign their letter on this page:
LETTER TO CO-SIGN:
Dear Chairman Harrison and members of the Democratic National Committee,
We write with congratulations on a 2022 election that gave our democracy another lease on life after Democratic victories up and down the ballot in key races for Governor, Secretary of State, and Congress. We also write with concern about the Democratic presidential primary schedule – and its impact on our ability to save democracy again in 2024.
As Democratic leaders from Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Nevada, we would suggest a simple principle when deciding which state holds the first-in-the-nation primary: The state should be diverse and competitive in the general election.
The first-in-the-nation primary will have a disproportionate infusion of resources compared to all other states. This could mean hundreds of millions of dollars communicating with voters about Democratic values and engaging voters year-round at a grassroots level. This organizing and voter education is especially important as some polls show voters trust Republicans over Democrats on issues like the economy, where we should have a wide advantage.
As we contemplate the potential return of Trump or Trumpism to the White House, it is clear these first-in-the-nation resources should be allocated to a state that is diverse and will be competitive in the 2024 general election. Preference should also be given to states with strong union laws, so that presidential campaigns that want to spend their resources on union hotels and vendors have statewide options to do so.
A rebuttal that we have heard to the idea of choosing a state like Georgia, North Carolina, or Nevada is that some states may require Republican politicians to sign off on calendar changes. That concern is reasonable, but seems easily mitigated. The DNC could decide a pecking order of which states it would prefer to hold the first-in-the-nation slot and then give those states a deadline to make the appropriate conditional changes. Whichever state highest in the pecking order makes the appropriate changes by the deadline wins the first slot. Local political leaders will likely get encouragement from local businesses to win this infusion of investment in their state. And some states, like Michigan, have a new Democratic trifecta and could serve as a guarantee for this process.
We would suggest deference to our Democratic President when naming this pecking order, within the universe of diverse states that will be competitive in the 2024 general election.
Our top concern is winning in 2024, which we know is your concern as well. We kindly ask you to consider this point of principle when deciding the first-in-the-nation primary state – and we look forward to working with you to elect Democrats and save democracy in 2024.
Sincerely,
Matt Hughes, DNC Delegate, Vice Chair of the State Democratic Party, Mayor Pro-Tem of Hillsborough, NC
Rev. Kim Jackson, State Senator, GA
Darrin Camilleri, State Senator, MI
Ted Terry, Dekalb County Commissioner, Former Mayor of Clarkston, GA
Liliana Bakhtiari, Atlanta City Councilmember, GA
Christina Jones, Raleigh City Councilmember, NC
Bennie Jones, Dublin City Councilmember, Laurens County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Tim Denson, Former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner, Current Board of Education, Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Aaron Stephens, Former Mayor of East Lansing, MI
Scott Urbanowski, State Democratic Party Officer-at-large, MI
Elsa Carion, Coweta County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
David Robinson, Pickens County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Mark Anderson, Thomas County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Charlotte Sleczkowski, Towns County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Kimberly Harris, Washington County Democratic Committee Chair, GA
Steve Anderson, Elko County Democratic Party Chair, NV
Bruce Morrison, Storey County Democratic Party Chair, NV
Katie Tomberlin, Carteret County Democratic Party, NC
David Dixon, Durham County Democratic Party Chair, NC
Kevin Farmer, Forsyth County Democratic Party Chair, NC
Kathy Kirkpatrick, Guilford County Democratic Party Chair, NC
Lisa Walker, Union County Democratic Party Chair, NC
Katheryn Elliott, Clinton County Democratic Party Chair, MI
Judy Stock, Dickinson County Democratic Party Chair, MI
Lisa Powell, Iron County Democratic Party Chair, MI
Barb Conley, Leelanau County Democratic Party Co-Chair, MI
Brigid Hart, Leelanau County Democratic Party Co-Chair, MI
Branden Snyder, Executive Director of Detroit Action, MI
Sister Mary Ellen Howard, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, MI
Krista Brewer, Board Chair of Georgia Conservation Voters, Publisher of Political Peach News, GA
Laura Martin, Executive Director, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund, NV