Early South Carolina primary gets backing from former Dem presidential staffers

South Carolina's elevation to first place in the Democratic presidential nominating calendar picked up more public backing this week from a slew of former 2020 Democratic presidential campaign staffers who worked in the state.

Fourteen former South Carolina state directors for 2020 Democratic presidential primary candidates signed a letter, obtained first by POLITICO, affirming their support for South Carolina to make the jump into first place — arguing that the move elevates Black voters who are the "backbone of our party."

Notably, Jessica Bright, who led Bernie Sanders' effort in South Carolina, also signed onto the letter, even though some former Sanders aides have vocally opposed the new line up, including his former campaign manager.

"This long overdue update to the primary calendar elevates the diverse voices of our party that have too often been overlooked – especially Black voters – and allows for campaigns of all sizes to build momentum and compete for the nomination," the letter reads. "But it’s not just Black voters who are contributing to the richness of South Carolina’s electorate. South Carolina is also home to other key parts of the Democratic Party’s winning coalition of voters:growing Hispanic and AAPI populations and dozens of majority-rural counties."

The letter kicks off the final round of public and private lobbying ahead of a February Democratic National Committee vote to reorder the party's presidential nominating calendar. Last month, the DNC moved forward with a proposal to dramatically reorder the slate of states that get to vote during the early nominating window. The plan, recommended by President Joe Biden, removed Iowa from its longtime position as the first state. It made the South Carolina primary first and placed New Hampshire and Nevada on the same day next in line. The proposal would also see Georgia and Michigan added to the early window.

The former South Carolina state directors also argued that picking South Carolina to go first will force presidential campaign staffs to further diversify who they hire, making "our party’s talent pipeline better reflect that diversity." They also emphasized the state's small geographic size and less expensive media markets, ensuring that "money alone won’t decide the primary."