LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on the presidential primary calendar. If the move is successful, it would upend decades of political tradition and give a more urban and racially diverse group of voters a greater say in picking the party’s nominee.
The behind-the-scenes lobbying seeks to capitalize on the party’s discontent with Iowa's and New Hampshire’s performances last year. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses devolved into a technological and logistical mess, leaving the winner unclear. New Hampshire's first-in-the-state primary wound up a near tie between two candidates who ultimately lost, while the eventual nominee, now-President Joe Biden, came in fifth.