Iowa loses seat on panel directing 2028 Democratic nominating calendar

Iowa Democrats were stripped of their coveted first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2023. Now, Iowa will no longer have a seat at the table when an influential Democratic National Committee begins revisiting and recommending the order of states to lead off the 2028 presidential nominating process.

Iowa DNC member Scott Brennan told The Gazette he no longer serves on the Rules and Bylaws Committee overseeing the 2028 presidential nominating process. He was Iowa's sole representative on the panel.

Brennan, a Des Moines lawyer and past chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said neither he, nor anyone from Iowa, made newly elected DNC Chair Ken Martin’s list of nominees. An Iowan has served on the committee for at least the last four presidential election cycles, he said.

“What he (Martin) said to me when he called me was that he had a lot of geographic and gender considerations to make, and that there just wasn’t room (for Iowa on the panel),” Brennan said. “I was very disappointed. When chair Martin ran, part of what he talked about was he was going to operate in a measurement of fairness, and when I view the makeup of the committee that claim of fairness doesn’t really fly true to me. It’s clear there are states he has favored.”

New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — other states that have traditionally made up the early voting window — gained additional seats on the committee.

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National Democrats reshaped their presidential nominating calendar ahead of the 2024 election, booting Iowa and New Hampshire from their leadoff spot in favor of a calendar that benefited President Joe Biden. South Carolina was promoted to the head of the pack.

After struggling in Iowa and New Hampshire in 2020, Biden won the South Carolina primary, setting him on the path to the Democratic nomination and the presidency.

Biden requested the shift in the party’s presidential nomination process to amplify diverse voices earlier in the presidential selection process.

Republicans have roundly criticized the decision, saying Democrats have turned their back on Iowa and rural America.

The decision also followed a chaotic 2020 caucus night for Iowa Democrats when a smartphone app — meant to make reporting results easier — failed. As a result, the official Democratic caucus results were not reported for several weeks. State party leaders have been critical of the DNC’s involvement in delaying development of the app and then demanding additional technology that failed on caucus night.

The debacle compounded existing concerns about Iowa's lack of racial diversity and barriers to participation.

The Iowa Democratic Party used a mail-in process in an effort to make the 2024 caucuses more accessible and to comply with the DNC’s new rules. State party leaders were hopeful that the national party would reevaluate whether to restore Iowa to the early voting window in 2028.

In securing another term as Iowa Democratic Party chair in January, Rita Hart said she would lead a “family conversation,” holding listening sessions across the state among the party’s grassroots about “principles that Iowa Democrats believe should guide our decision-making” about the future of the Iowa caucuses.

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Hart, in a statement to The Gazette, said she is focused on winning competitive races in 2026, but plans to have "tough and direct conversations“ with the national party about ”our Iowa caucuses and the serious concerns surrounding the Biden 2024 calendar.“

“National Democrats let Trump get a head start in the 2024 campaign by excluding Iowa. We simply can’t afford to be ignored again,” she said.

DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman, in a statement, said the national party "committed to running a fair, transparent, and rigorous process for the 2028 primary calendar."

"All states will have an opportunity to participate," Rahman added. "Iowa's DNC members and Chair Rita Hart are fierce advocates for Iowa Democrats and they will have their voices heard during that process."

Brennan left open the possibility of Iowa Democrats following New Hampshire’s lead and holding a rogue caucus in 2028 ahead of any other state.

New Hampshire, which state law requires to hold the first presidential primary, held an unsanctioned primary in January 2024 a week ahead of South Carolina, in defiance of DNC rules — yet gained a seat on the committee.

“In 2024, we had an incumbent president who dictated the calendar and (it) seemed silly to fight tooth and nail against it,” Brennan said. “In 2028, it’s a wide-open process, and there a lot of reasons for folks to want to come to Iowa.”

He said Iowa still has appeal as a small state with cheap media markets and an emphasis on in-person organizing that gives lesser-known candidates a voice.

“I think there is a large measure of freedom that comes with not sitting at the table,” Brennan said. “I am disappointed that current DNC administration didn’t feel fit to give Iowa a voice. That’s a political decision they made, but frankly makes things easier for us to decide what we want to do.”

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, in a statement released Monday, said the Iowa GOP will continue “to defend the state’s influence and fight for a fair and transparent process that puts Iowans, not Washington insiders, first.”

Kaufmann blamed Iowa Democrats for failing to stand up for Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status.

“Iowa Democrats once played a central role in shaping the presidential nominating process. Now, because of decisions made to please Joe Biden and their national party, Iowa has no say at all,” according to the statement.

Comments: (319) 398-8499; tom.barton@thegazette.com