Biden backs South Carolina going first in Democrats' presidential nominating process

The Democratic National Committee is set to meet Friday to discuss the order in which the states should ballot.
Joe Biden at a White House post-midterm press conference, Nov. 9, 2022

President Biden is reportedly backing a plan to rearrange his Democrat Party's presidential nominating process that has balloting starting in South Carolina – the state he won in 2020 that led him to win the party nomination.

Biden suggested South Carolina be followed by Nevada and New Hampshire on the same day, then Georgia and finally Michigan, according to multiple news outlets.

Iowa, the traditional first state on the nominating calendar, would not be among the first five under Biden's purported plan.

In a letter to the Democratic National Committee, which runs the nominating process, Biden said the first contests should represent the diversity of the party and country.

He also said that voters of color should have a voice in choosing the party’s nominee much earlier than they do now, according to The Hill newspaper.

"Too often over the past fifty years, candidates have dropped out or had their candidacies marginalized by the press and pundits because of poor performances in small states early in the process before voters of color cast a vote," he wrote. 

The DNC is set to meet Friday to discuss the order in which the states should ballot, The Hill also reports.

Iowa and New Hampshire have for decades been the first two states.