The deadline kicks off a months-long process that could dethrone the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary — or both states’ contests — from their traditional spots at the front of the pack.
For decades, Iowa has held the first presidential caucuses, with New Hampshire hosting the first primary shortly afterward. But the DNC this year forced both states to compete for the first time for the right to go first.
The decision to rethink the primaries comes two years after the Iowa Democratic Party bungled the caucuses by relying on a faulty app that caused results to be delayed for days. And it follows years of complaints that two of the Whitest states in the country play an outsize role in choosing the nominee of an increasingly diverse party.
