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Politico
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Democrats in South Carolina are barely pretending they're not already running for president
'I'm out there trying to be a common ground, common sense, get-things-done type of messenger for this Democratic Party,' Beshear told elected officials and party officials in Charleston Thursday morning. 'Because I believe that with what we're seeing coming out of Washington, D.C., the cruelty and the incompetence, that the path forward is right there in front of us.' Christy Waddil, a 67-year-old Democratic voter who waited to shake Beshear's hand Thursday night, said she was 'excited' to meet all these potential contenders. But it's a lot of responsibility to be the first state in the presidential primary calendar, she said: 'We have our work cut out for us now.' In June, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly spoke at an anti-gun event in Charleston to mark the grim anniversary of the Emanuel AME shooting. In May, Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota headlined a pair of state party events to rub elbows with Rep. Jim Clyburn, the longtime South Carolina kingmaker whose nod helped anoint Joe Biden as the party's nominee in 2020. 'It's not a surprise,' said Clyburn when asked about the state's revolving door of 2028 hopefuls nearly three years before the actual presidential primary. 'Why argue with success? If it ain't broke, why fix it?' South Carolina Democrats know their grip on the top spot is tenuous, with traditional early states like Iowa and New Hampshire eager to reclaim their lead-off position, and others —like North Carolina and Georgia — seeking to emerge as new states to consider. And it comes as there's been a major reshuffling on a powerful panel at the Democratic National Committee that has huge sway over the presidential nominating process. 'None of what those supposed candidates are doing right now is going to have any bearing on what the Rules and Bylaws Committee ultimately does for the calendar,' said Maria Cardona, a longtime member of the powerful panel. 'That may or may not include all of the states that are in the early calendar now.' Democrats haven't won the state in a general election since 1976, and President Donald Trump won it by 18 points last year. It's led more competitive neighbors to wonder whether they should get top billing instead. '[National Democrats] have a lot of mobility to get power back at the federal level by investing early in North Carolina. And I think a lot of people will hear that message loud and clear, especially after we just got our asses kicked,'said state party chair Anderson Clayton, who is interested in usurping its neighbor to the south and angling for one of the open at-large slots on the RBC. 'The future of the state of the Democratic Party also runs right through North Carolina too.' Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver the keynote address at North Carolina's state party unity dinner on July 26, and state party leaders are in talks with Sens. Kelly of Arizona and Cory Booker of New Jersey about visits to the state later this year. But moving the order of primary states is easier said than done. North Carolina is hamstrung by state law from moving its date, and Democrats would need the GOP-controlled legislature to agree to any changes. DNC members have also emphasized smaller states to allow lesser-known candidates to build followings. 'The most powerful force in the universe is inertia, so South Carolina is probably the favorite to stay just because of that,' said an incoming member of the committee granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. 'Every state has a chance to be first, but I do think we have to come into this with a degree of realism.' The DNC is attempting to remain neutral. 'The DNC is committed to running a fair, transparent, and rigorous process for the 2028 primary calendar. All states will have an opportunity to participate,' Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement. Iowa Democrats are also gearing up on a bid to restore their caucuses to their traditional spot as the nation's first presidential contest. Michigan replaced Iowa as the Midwestern early state in 2024. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said she planned to have 'tough and direct conversations' with the party in a statement, even as the DNC r emoved Iowa's only representative, Scott Brennan, from the Rules and Bylaws Committee this year. Already, potential 2028 candidates have traveled there, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who held a town hall in Cedar Rapid s in May. Walz stopped by the Hawkeye State in March, and former Japan Ambassador Rahm Emanuel and freshman Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego are both slated to visit the state in the coming months. New Hampshire Democrats also openly clashed with top DNC officials last cycle — and plan to stick with their state law making it first primary in the nation. Pritzker went to an influential state party dinner there in April. 'The potential candidates on the Democratic side and, to some extent, the Republican side are coming through New Hampshire,' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said in a brief interview. The positioning at the national party over early states is already underway. Party insiders are voting for the remaining open seats on the panel after DNC Chair Ken Martin named members to the governing body in recent weeks. Cardona said the goal of the committee is to ensure the strongest and most electable candidate emerges from what is expected to be a crowded field. Talks will begin on the next presidential primary calendar later this year, but will ramp up after the midterms. South Carolina's ascension was aimed at recognizing South Carolina's significant Black electorate, long considered the backbone of the Democratic Party. That's partly why Khanna is there, he said in an interview on why he is focusing on reaching out to Black voters. 'I believe that's critical for all the people who want to lead the Democratic Party, in whatever form, and to me it's encouraging that people are going down to South Carolina' to reach them. Beshear, too, expressed support for South Carolina's representation, telling reporters that Democrats 'need to make sure that the South is represented in the primary calendar' because 'for too long, the investments haven't been made in places like Kentucky and in places like South Carolina.' In defense of remaining in the early window, South Carolina Democrats are playing up the state's diverse electorate and inexpensive media markets that could allow for the best presidential candidates — not just the best fundraisers — to emerge in a wide open presidential cycle in 2028. 'The Democratic primary for president is not based on the state's competitiveness in a general election,' said Parmley. 'This is the same bullshit that loses us presidential elections, and we only play in eight competitive states.'
Politico
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
South Carolina's early state status is far from secure. But 2028 Dems are going anyway.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker will deliver the keynote address at North Carolina's state party unity dinner on July 26, and state party leaders are in talks with Sens. Kelly of Arizona and Cory Booker of New Jersey about visits to the state later this year. But moving the order of primary states is easier said than done. North Carolina is hamstrung by state law from moving its date, and Democrats would need the GOP-controlled legislature to agree to any changes. DNC members have also emphasized smaller states to allow lesser-known candidates to build followings. 'The most powerful force in the universe is inertia, so South Carolina is probably the favorite to stay just because of that,' said an incoming member of the committee granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. 'Every state has a chance to be first, but I do think we have to come into this with a degree of realism.' The DNC is attempting to remain neutral. 'The DNC is committed to running a fair, transparent, and rigorous process for the 2028 primary calendar. All states will have an opportunity to participate,' Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement. Iowa Democrats are also gearing up on a bid to restore their caucuses to their traditional spot as the nation's first presidential contest. Michigan replaced Iowa as the Midwestern early state in 2024. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said she planned to have 'tough and direct conversations' with the party in a statement, even as the DNC r emoved Iowa's only representative , Scott Brennan, from the Rules and Bylaws Committee this year.
Epoch Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
DNC Sets June Vote on Possible Invalidation of Election of Vice Chairs
The Democratic National Committee will vote in June to decide if it will invalidate the vice-chair elections of activist David Hogg and Pennsylvania State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Feb. 1. The upcoming vote is the result of a May 22 meeting of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which voted 25–0 to move forward with a procedural challenge to those elections. Hogg had drawn controversy by announcing in April that he would back primary challenges against incumbent Democrats whose leadership he felt was 'ineffective.' Hogg, during his short tenure as vice-chair, was to hold primaries against 'asleep at the wheel' members of his party through his Leaders We Deserve PAC. DNC chair Ken Martin came out against Hogg's plan, saying that a DNC officer should remain neutral in elections. 'Let me be unequivocal: No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger,' Martin said during an appearance on Fox News. Related Stories 5/13/2025 4/24/2025 On May 10, Martin The Feb. 28 challenge came less than a month after Hogg's election. Members of the DNC will vote electronically on June 9–11 to invalidate or keep the election results. If they vote to invalidate, they will hold do-over elections with the same five candidates. The first election, which must appoint a man according to DNC rules, will be held June 12–15. The second, which may be any gender, will be held on June 15–17. Hogg and Kenyatta were chosen as vice chairs of the party on Feb. 1 during its turbulent , which was frequently interrupted by protests. But that election was contested because it violated the DNC's complex statutes requiring gender parity in elections. There were two empty vice-chair slots, and statutes required that the first slot be filled by a man; the second could be any gender. Instead of holding two separate elections, the DNC placed all five candidates on one ballot, put both slots on that ballot, and combined the results. Kenyatta received 289 votes, Hogg received 214. Democratic Party's Oklahoma representative and attorney Kalyn Free, who was also on the ballot, said that structure made it 'mathematically impossible' for a woman to win. 'I brought this challenge for every man, woman, nonbinary, person, and person of color that comes after me and wants to serve as an officer of our party,' Free the committee before the May 22 vote. The push to overturn the elections has led to allegations—by Hogg and others—that the DNC is taking advantage of Free's challenge to remove him as vice chair by a simple majority vote, instead of the two-thirds normally required. On May 12, Kenyatta on X that Free's challenge was brought 'well before' Hogg's announcement that he would primary members of his party. Hogg acknowledged that this was true, but said that 'the consensus' among members he spoke to was that the challenge was unlikely to go forward. That changed when he made his controversial policy decisions, he said in an interview on MSNBC. At the May 22 committee hearing, he asked the members to reconsider. 'I want to say that if we proceed with voiding and redoing this election, we risk sending a message that undermines the very confidence that we work so hard to build, not just within our own party, but within the public,' Hogg said ahead of that vote. 'To the public, the signal that we send them matters, and in this case, it would be that Democrats can't run an election.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DNC members to vote next month on potential vice chair election redo
Democratic National Committee (DNC) members will determine in June whether a contested election over two DNC vice chair positions should be held again. Members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met Thursday night, determining that the party will hold an electronic vote June 9-11 over whether the election for DNC vice chair positions won by Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and activist David Hogg should be held again after one of the candidates who lost the election challenged the way the race was conducted. If a majority of the members vote to hold a new election, the DNC has said an electronic vote will take place June 12-14 for the first vice chair, which must be filled by a man. A second electronic vote for the second vice chair, which can be filled by any gender, would take place June 15-17. Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free, who unsuccessfully ran for DNC vice chair, issued a challenge over the DNC vice chair election results in February, alleging in a letter that the committee's 'decision to ignore the Charter, Bylaws and upend the stated Election Rules in conducting the election for the second and third Vice Chair positions gave the two male candidates an unfair and insurmountable advantage over the women candidates.' 'By placing all five candidates — Mr. Kenyatta, Mr. Hogg, Ms. [Shasti] Conrad, Ms. Free, and Ms. [Jeanna] Repass — on the same ballot and aggregating votes across two rounds, the process unfairly disadvantaged the women candidate,' she added in her letter to several DNC officials. Both Hogg and Kenyatta expressed during the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Thursday that they both disagreed with the idea of trying to hold another election for their posts. 'If we proceed with voiding and redoing this election, we risk sending a message that undermines … the confidence' that the party worked hard to build, Hogg told members, adding later that the 'signal that we send them matters, and in this case, it would be that Democrats can't run an election.' Kenyatta during the meeting said, 'It is no big secret that I fundamentally believe we held a fair election at National Harbor, an election that produced an officer corps that looks like America and that, in a historic fashion, elevated for the first time ever, two people to our committee under the age of 35.' The Pennsylvania state lawmaker added that if members did proceed to move forward with a new election for their roles, he said he hoped that there would be at least a virtual forum to assess the candidates. The move to potentially order a redo of the elections comes as Hogg has separately drawn the ire of some Democrats for investing resources in primarying ineffective members of the party. DNC Chair Ken Martin has said DNC officeholders should not be involved in primarying efforts within the party. 'While certainly I understand what he's trying to do, as I've said to him — if you want to challenge incumbents, you're free to do that, just not as an officer of the DNC,' Martin said. The vote to potentially redo the vice chair election is not related to Hogg's primary efforts, though the developments coupled together have underscored a rocky start to his term as DNC vice chair. The moves are also putting intraparty tensions on display at a time when the party is looking to reset from a disappointing November election. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
DNC members to vote next month on potential vice chair election redo
Democratic National Committee (DNC) members will determine in June whether a contested election over two DNC vice chair positions should be held again. Members of the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee met on Thursday night, determining that the party will hold an electronic vote from June 9-11 over whether the election for DNC vice chair positions won by Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and David Hogg should be held again after one of the candidates who lost the election challenged the way the race was conducted. If a majority of the members vote to hold a new election, the DNC has said an electronic vote will take place for the first vice chair, which must be filled by a male, from June 12-14. A second electronic vote for the second vice chair, which can be filled by any gender, would take place between June 15-17. Oklahoma DNC member Kalyn Free, who unsuccessfully ran for DNC vice chair, issued a challenge over the DNC vice chair election results in February, alleging in a letter that the committee's 'decision to ignore the Charter, Bylaws and upend the stated Election Rules in conducting the election for the second and third Vice Chair positions gave the two male candidates an unfair and insurmountable advantage over the women candidates.' 'By placing all five candidates — Mr. Kenyatta, Mr. Hogg, Ms. Conrad, Ms. Free, and Ms. Repass —on the same ballot and aggregating votes across two rounds, the process unfairly disadvantaged the women candidate,' she added in her letter to several DNC officials. Both Hogg and Kenyatta expressed during the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting on Thursday that they both disagreed with the idea of trying to hold another election for their posts. 'If we proceed with voiding and redoing this election, we risk sending a message that undermines … the confidence' that the party worked hard to build, Hogg told members, adding later that the 'signal that we send them matters, and in this case, it would be that Democrats can't run an election.' Kenyatta, during the meeting, said 'it is no big secret that I fundamentally believe we held a fair election at National Harbor, an election that produced an officer corps that looks like America and that, in a historic fashion, elevated for the first time ever, two people to our committee under the age of 35.' The Pennsylvania state lawmaker added that if members did proceed to move forward with a new election for their roles, he said he hoped that there would be at least on virtual forum to assess the candidates. The move to potentially order a redo of the elections comes as Hogg has separately drawn the ire of some Democrats for investing resources in primarying ineffective members of the party. DNC Chair Ken Martin has said that DNC officeholders should not be involved in primarying efforts within the party. 'While certainly I understand what he's trying to do, as I've said to him — if you want to challenge incumbents, you're free to do that, just not as an officer of the DNC,' Martin said. The vote to potentially redo the vice chair election is not related to Hogg's primary efforts, though the developments coupled together have underscored a rocky start to his term as DNC vice chair. The moves are also putting intraparty tensions on display at a time when the party is looking to reset from a disappointing November election.
