Michigan poised to replace Iowa as early Democratic presidential state

Michigan is poised to replace Iowa as an early Democratic presidential nominating state, upending the current primary lineup and breaking with a half-century of precedent.

President Joe Biden signaled to Michigan Democrats during his trip to the state this week that he’d bless their bid to hold their primary in the early-state window in the future, according to a senior Michigan Democrat.

Separately, White House aides informed state officials of their recommendation to the Democratic National Committee, according to senior party leaders. The DNC’s rules committee is meeting on Friday to discuss the issue.

Michigan and Minnesota were seen as the leading contenders to replace Iowa in the early lineup, after years in which Iowa's caucuses have served as the first contest of presidential campaigns. But Michigan's status as a general election battleground, as well as President Joe Biden's own connection to the state and its powerful labor unions, won out.

Inserting Michigan into the early-state lineup and booting Iowa from its first-place position isn't the only change that could come this week. Nevada, another early state, is seeking to leapfrog New Hampshire into the first slot, and the committee has still left open the possibility of adding a fifth state to the early window. It is not yet clear whether the White House has weighed in on those additional changes to the early state process.

The DNC reopened the long-stable nominating process last spring, asking states to apply — or reapply — for the coveted status currently held by Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. The DNC came under pressure from leaders inside and outside to diversify the slate of states, criticizing Iowa and New Hampshire for their predominately white populations, which do not reflect the base of the Democratic Party.

Michigan Democrats' victories during the November midterms — flipping the state Legislature while Gov. Gretchen Whitmer won reelection — cleared any logistical hurdles for changing the primary date. Earlier this week, the Republican-controlled state Senate passed a bill that would move up the state's presidential primary date to the second Tuesday in February.