COLUMBIA, S.C. — National Democrats voted to move South Carolina up on the political calendar, making it the first in the nation to vote in the Democratic primary.
South Carolina is replacing Iowa and, in this upcoming presidential election, the Democratic Party will be starting here. This means that all Democratic presidential candidates will begin in the Palmetto State with a primary election.
There are multiple contributing factors to why Democratic leaders said they consider South Carolina the ideal state.
“Since 1992, every candidate who has won the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Democratic nominee with one exception - in 2004," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said.
Aside from a 31-year history of Democratic nominees, it’s also important to note that diversity was a part of the decision when choosing which state to replace Iowa.
“Sixty percent of the people who cast their vote in the Democratic primary in South Carolina are African American. The demographics and the geographics of our state make us very flavorful and reflective of who the Democratic primary party is and where we’re headed," Seawright said.
While shifting demographics sparked the change for the Democratic National Committee, Trav Robertson, the South Carolina Democratic Party chair, said South Carolina could see some growth.
“You can’t overstate or understate what this does to the political landscape, but also our economy," Robertson said.
To be more specific, this change places South Carolina on a large political stage along with the businesses here.
“We will have people coming in getting hotels, restaurants, cars, gas, you name it," Robertson said. "We’re looking at anywhere between half a billion to a billion dollars potentially to our economy."
The first vote will take place on Feb. 3, 2024.