Nevada Democrats intend to make state first stop of primary season

RENO, Nev. — Nevada’s Democratic congressional members on Friday urged the Democratic National Committee to make the Western swing state the primary stop of primary season and point to a robust midterm showing as evidence for why it ought to be in the highest slot.

It’s the newest in a growing debate over who should gain the priceless political clout of being first within the nation as Iowa’s half-century run stands on shaky ground. For months, that state’s delegates have fended off criticism that it doesn’t have a various enough electorate and that it isn’t predictive of which candidate will win the first.

The Nevada congressional members said the consequence of the midterm election – including Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s re-election after many deemed her probably the most vulnerable incumbent – “cemented why we must always hold the primary presidential primary.”

“Nevada is a working class, pro-labor state with one of the vital diverse populations within the country and a commitment to voting rights that may be a model for the nation,” they said.

4 of Nevada’s five Democratic congressional members – Cortez Masto and Reps. Steven Horsford, Dina Titus and Susie Lee – all won re-election in what were considered toss-up races. Sen. Jacky Rosen is up for re-election in 2024. Rep. Mark Amodei is the state’s only Republican congressional member and simply won re-election for his seventh term last week.

Nevada is especially competing alongside Latest Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina because the party opened up its process for the primary spot earlier this 12 months. The party’s rules committee is ready to fulfill at first of December to choose the brand new calendar.

Latest Hampshire has hinged its argument on grassroots politics and the potential for Democrats to lose future elections if it ceases to be in one among the highest slots. The Iowa delegation promised changes to its caucus, including expanded vote-by-mail after technical glitches prolonged the 2020 results. South Carolina delegates have touted the state’s size, diversity, affordability and accessibility to candidates.

Nevada has a big share of working class voters with a robust union presence and huge Latino, Filipino and Chinese American populations. The letter cited a demographic diversity – from the Las Vegas and Reno metro centers to tribal and rural communities – that could be predictive of a primary win across the country.

“When you’re a presidential candidate and you possibly can win in Nevada, you’ve got a message that resonates across the country,” Cortez Masto said on MSNBC earlier this week, calling the state “a microcosm of the remainder of the country.”

Nevada Democratic strategist Rebecca Lambe also outlined in a memo first reported by Politico that the midterms “underscore Nevada’s record of beating the percentages to deliver for Democrats.”

“The voters who make up our electorate represent the long run of the Democratic Party if we wish to win national elections: working class Latino, Black, Asian American, Native American, and white voters,” Lambe wrote. “Simply put, we cannot win 270 electoral votes or Congress without prioritizing the various, blue-collar coalition that Nevada represents.”