Clyburn: Iowa, New Hampshire Don’t ‘Reflect the Electorate of the United States of America’

Representative James Clyburn (D-SC) said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “José Díaz-Balart Reports” that the Democrats changed their presidential primary schedule because New Hampshire and Iowa do not “reflect the electorate of the United States of America.”

Díaz-Balart asked, “Congressman, the speech comes days after the Democratic National Committee voted to make South Carolina the first primary state in 2024. What does this mean for South Carolina? What is the message that the Democratic Party is sending?”

Clyburn said, “Well, I think the message the Democratic Party is sending is very simple, that we have a very diverse country, a very diverse party, and all of that should be honored. I don’t have anything against New Hampshire or Iowa, but I don’t know that anybody in this country can legitimately argue that those two states reflect the electorate of the United States of America.”

“They don’t. And to have Nevada and New Hampshire going on the same day, they complement each other,” he continued. “On the same day, you have those two states, with totally different voting populations, having their say. It is not fair for one state to always be first. That’s not the way things ought to be. We ought to have a country that honors everybody’s efforts. To say that I’ve got to always be first is a little bit like saying I’ve got to always be at the front of the bus.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN