Iowa and New Hampshire, the two states that historically started the primary calendar, were also criticized among Democrats for not being demographically representative of the country. The populations of both states are predominantly white, unlike Nevada, which is more diverse.
The bill’s new language would define the presidential primaries for Tuesday “just before the last Tuesday in January,” an attempt to dislodge New Hampshire from its primary status.
Jason Frierson, the Nevada Assembly spokesman, said in a prepared statement that the legislation “will lay the groundwork for Nevada to become the nation’s first state in the presidential nomination process.”
“Nevada’s diverse population and first-hand experience on issues related to climate change, public lands, immigration and health care provide a unique voice that deserves to be heard first,” he said.
New Hampshire would fiercely contest any attempt by Nevada to run its nomination contest first. New Hampshire state law requires that primaries take place at least seven days before a “similar election” in any other state, and the state secretary of state, Bill Gardner, successfully maneuvered for decades to keep New Hampshire in line. ahead.
Nevada’s move from caucuses to primaries is supported by state governor Steve Sisolak and other state democrats. Reid, in particular, played a key role behind the scenes in trying to push Nevada ahead of the calendar, building on his relationship with President Joe Biden and his government and arguing that his state is more representative of the country.
William McCurdy, president of the Nevada Democratic Party, said in a statement prepared on Monday that “expanding access to the Nevada presidential nomination process is something NV Dems has worked on for many years,” calling for legislation to move on to a primary next critical step. “