A new primary calendar gives black Democrats an earlier say for 2024

The move is unlikely to change who wins, but might speed up the process

FILE -- Former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic presidential hopeful, at a campaign event at Edisto Fork United Methodist Church in Orangeburg, S.C., July 6, 2019. National polls show that African-American voters remain Biden's most reliable voting bloc, and an area of relative weakness for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). (Demetrius Freeman/The New York Times)Credit: New York Times / Redux / eyevineFor further information please contact eyevinetel: +44 (0) 20 8709 8709e-mail: info@eyevine.comwww.eyevine.com — Image: Eyevine/Redux/New York Times

Feb 9th 2023|Washington, DC

ONE OF THE many ways America is exceptional is in how it picks nominees for president. In most other democracies, parties select their leaders quickly through a set of selection procedures with tight rules and minimal involvement from the people. In America voters themselves get to pick who runs for president. They do so via a months-long series of elections held independently by each state’s party organisations, with each state lobbying the national party for the coveted first go at casting ballots for the nominees. For decades, Iowa has held that title. But on February 4th, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) handed pole position to South Carolina, previously the fourth state to vote.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Picking winners”