Nevada Democrats push to hold nation's first presidential primary

Nevada’s Democratic members of Congress issued a statement urging the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to choose Nevada for the first 2024 presidential primary.

The joint statement, issued by U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. Steven Horsford, and Rep. Susie Lee, argued that “securing the Democratic Senate majority” and “delivering presidential victories four cycles in a row” make Nevada the best choice.

Four of the five won tight midterm races against their Republican opponents. Rosen is up for re-election in 2024.

“Nevada is a working class, pro-labor state with one of the most diverse populations in the country and a commitment to voting rights that is a model for the nation,” the statement said. “Nevada also includes large metropolitan areas, small towns, 28 Tribal communities, rural areas, and military bases. It is a crucial battleground state that determines control of the White House and Congress, and features highly competitive general election races every cycle and at every level of the ballot.”

“Having Nevada’s multiracial, blue-collar electorate kick off the primary calendar in future cycles will make our entire party stronger, and we’ve proved again in 2022 that there’s simply no other state with a better argument for going first,” the statement continued.

Nevada’s Secretary of State-elect Cisco Aguilar also weighed in with a Twitter post.

“Nevada is the only state that meets all of the DNC’s criteria for FITN, and our voters should have a say in the future of this nation,” he said Tuesday.

Since 1972, Iowa has held the DNC’s first presidential primary. Controversy ensued after the 2020 Iowa Democratic Caucuses, when technology issues led to delayed reporting of the results and caused some to question the process.

Earlier this year, the DNC approved new criteria for choosing where the first primary would be held. Criteria include diversity, general-election competitiveness, and feasibility.

The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet December 1 to decide on the official calendar.