The Democratic National Committee just made South Carolina its first primary: Here's why

Democrats voted to move South Carolina up the political calendar, making it their first in the nation to vote in the Democratic primary. Our Zoe Henry has more on what this means for our state. Zoe. South Carolina is replacing Iowa and in this upcoming presidential election, the Democratic Party is starting here this time next year. This means in 2024 all Democratic presidential candidates will begin in the Palmetto State with a primary election. There are multiple contributing factors as to why South Carolina was the ideal state. Antoine Searite is a Democratic strategist.

Since 1992, every candidate who has won the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Democratic nominee with one exception. That was 2004. Aside from a 31-year history of Democratic nominees, it's also important to note that diversity was a part of the decision when choosing which state to replace Iowa. 60% of the people who cast their vote in the Democratic primary in South Carolina are African American. The demographics and the geographics of our state make us very flavorable and reflective of who the Democratic Party is and where we're headed. While shifting demographics sparked the change for the Democratic National Committee, Travis Robertson, the South Carolina Democratic Party Chair, says South Carolina could see some growth. A static, you can't overstate or understate the importance and what this does to the political landscape but also to our economy.

To be more specific, this change places South Carolina on a large political stage as well as for the businesses here. We will have people coming in and running hotels, restaurants, cars, gas, you name it, and hiring staff. And so it's a significant, you're looking anywhere from half a billion to a billion dollars potentially to our economy. The first vote will take place on February 3, 2024. I'm in the studio. Zoe Henry, News 19, WLTX. Thank you.

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