New Jersey Democrats make their bid for an early presidential primary

As the national Democratic Party ponders whether to move away from its Iowa-first presidential primary and caucus system, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC) sent a letter to Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison yesterday asking him to consider New Jersey for an early slot in the primary calendar.

“It is time for the Democratic Party to move boldly into the future with a presidential primary calendar that reflects the diversity of our party and nation,” NJDSC chairman LeRoy Jones Jr. wrote. “Let’s make New Jersey one of the first primary states, and set up future Democratic Party presidential nominees for long-term success.”

One of the chief complaints against Iowa’s and New Hampshire’s prominence in presidential primaries is the whiteness of their electorates, which is at odds with the multiracial makeup of the Democratic Party’s coalition. 

New Jersey, on the other hand, is nearly majority-minority, and has large Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations; Jones argued that New Jersey has the kind of diversity the national party is looking for, contained within one of the smallest and most easily traversable states in the country.

“[The state’s] striking level of diversity makes New Jersey truly representative of the Democratic Party and the current and future American electorate,” he wrote. “In many ways, we are truly a microcosm of the country.”

Also a component of Jones’ argument is that New Jersey, unlike a number of states that have Republicans controlling the governorship or state legislature, has worked to make voting more widespread and accessible.

“Through the leadership of Governor Phil Murphy, Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, and our legislature, New Jersey has expanded access to vote by mail, implemented automatic voter registration, enacted online voter registration, instituted in-person early voting, restored voting rights to individuals on probation and parole, and taken many other steps to strengthen our democracy,” he wrote.

Technically, the decision on when to hold any New Jersey primary is up to the state legislature and governor, and State Sen. and former Gov. Richard Codey (D-Roseland) has said he plans to introduce legislation moving the state’s primary forward. But if New Jersey were to hold an early presidential primary without the national party’s blessing, its vote could be nullified, so the actual decision will ultimately rest with the Democratic Party organization.

If New Jersey’s bid was to be accepted, the presidential contest would likely be a completely separate contest from state-level primaries, which would still happen in June.