DES MOINES, IOWA –During the winter meeting for the Democratic National Committee, the party voted to strip Iowa of their First-in-the-Nation status.

Leading up to the vote on Saturday, this move is a long time in the making, stemming from the failure of the 2020 caucus reporting app. The years of the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary leading off the nominating process are done, as far as the national party is concerned.

The new calendar will start with South Carolina’s primary on February 3, New Hampshire and Nevada on Feb. 6, Georgia on Feb. 13 and rounding out the first five, Michigan on Feb. 27.

“As a farmer who lives near Wheatland, Iowa, a town of around 800 people, it is vital that small rural states like Iowa have a voice in our Presidential nominating process,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, in a press release on Saturday. “Democrats cannot forget about the entire groups of voters in the heart of the midwest without doing significant damage to the party. I am especially troubled by the lack of representation of states in the Central or Mountain time zones.”

Iowa’s state law now conflicts with the DNC calendar for the nominating process. State law requires Iowa’s political parties to caucus before the last Tuesday in February and before any other state contest. The newly-elected party chair said that Iowa Democrats will follow requirements from the state.

“When we submit our delegate selection plan to the Rules and Bylaws Committee, we will continue to do what is best for Iowa, adhere to any state legal requirements and utilize the vote-by-mail process outlined in our application for an early-state waiver,” said Hart.

Hart was in Philadelphia for the DNC Winter Meeting along with Scott Brennan, who is on the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee. During the 2024 presidential nomination calendar, Iowa Democrats will have a decision to make: follow state law or lose half of the state’s delegates for the national convention.