Harry Reid: Early voting states Iowa, New Hampshire 'not representative of the country anymore'

[highplainsdem]

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/470899-former-senate-leader-harry-reid-says-early-voting-states-iowa-and-new

“I don’t think it matters what happens in Iowa or New Hampshire because those states are not representative of the country anymore,” Reid said Sunday, according to the Associated Press.

Reid said his home state of Nevada, which is third in line to hold its presidential primary, is more representative of the country’s demographics than both Iowa and New Hampshire.

Reid pointed to the Latino, black and Asian American population in Nevada as the reason behind his rationale.

Nevada’s population is made up of about 48 percent with white residents, compared to Iowa’s white population of roughly 85 percent and New Hampshire’s 90 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. About 60 percent of the U.S. population as a whole is white.

Reid said too much focus is placed on Iowa and New Hampshire early on, limiting Nevada and other states' roles in electing the president.

"You guys make too big a deal out of it," Reid told reporters ahead of a fundraiser for the Nevada Democratic Party. “Iowa and New Hampshire are just not indicative of what is going to happen."

Nevada and South Carolina, the third and fourth states to vote, have considerably more diverse demographics than Iowa and New Hampshire. Black voters make up about two-thirds of the Democratic primary electorate in South Carolina.

Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, made similar remarks last week.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. Kick and Rec. Time to push IA and NH caucus/primary back to March or April

Let SC go before.

[tblue37]

2. He is right, of course. nt

[TheFarseer]

3. Shocking

The author thinks his state should go first. What a coincidence his state is the best.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Did we read the same article?

1) I don't see where any particular state is being suggested here to go first. The article is reporting on what Reid and Castro have said on the subject that the two states that go first are not representative of US demographics. The states that go third and fourth are more demographically diverse than the two that come before them. Which is true.
2) Does anyone even know (or care) where Owen Daugherty lives?

[TheFarseer]

7. Fair enough

I guess I just assumed that was the implication.

[Pachamama]

4. Completely agree...

Not only is Iowa a "caucus" (which if one actually understands how that works) that is not a good representation for even final Iowa voting, but I wouldn't exactly describe either of those states which are Ultra-white and not very diverse as representative of the rest of the country or even majority of states.

Honestly, even if my two top choices, Biden and Harris, won these two states (or lost), I wouldn't be celebrating in the first case or worrying in the second case.

[Thekaspervote]

5. From the very astute Harry Reid...thank you

[redqueen]

8. Everyone knows it's true

but it's not a good time for candidates to be saying so 😂

[question everything]

9. They never had. Why, then, Mr. Reid have you not worked on it when you had the power

of convincing?

[Skya Rhen]

10. As an AA woman, I am proud to declare that South Carolina will decide THIS election - bet on that!

[stopdiggin]

11. to be clear, Reid did not advocate a change

in primary voting. What he said was that too much "importance" is placed on these results .. which is pretty well established and largely conventional thinking. Don't see anything new or noteworthy here for the most part.

"You guys make too big a deal out of it," Reid told reporters ahead of a fundraiser for the Nevada Democratic Party. “Iowa and New Hampshire are just not indicative of what is going to happen."

to paraphrase: "Spend more time, more attention, and more money, in my state!"

[Cha]

12. KR!

[Tarheel_Dem]

13. Any ideas how we change this? Does Tom Perez have any control over first in the nation...

primaries?