Valerie Biden Owens supports shift away from Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus
President Biden doesn't have fond memories about Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, where he finished a dismal fourth in 2020 before managing to recover in presidential primaries that followed in other states.
Little surprise then, that Valerie Biden Owens, his sister and one-time campaign manager, looks favorably on an effort to overhaul the Democrats' early nominating calendar – a step that could imperil the considerable political influence of the Hawkeye State.
"The caucus-goers are serious people," Biden Owens told Paste BN in an interview about her memoir, Growing Up Biden, which is being published Tuesday by Celadon Books. "But I think that what matters most now is to represent the diversity and the quilt that is America."
'Status quo is not an option': Democrats discuss changes to calendar that could leave Iowa caucuses out
Iowa's population is more than 90% white, according to the U.S. Census, one factor in criticism by political leaders in other states of its lead-off role.
President Biden hasn't taken a public stance on efforts to change the process, a fact that gives his sister's comments special weight. She was the manager of Biden's presidential bid in 1988, which ended before the caucuses were held, and in 2008, when he finished a distant fifth and dropped out of the race.
Biden Owens didn't endorse a specific proposal, but she did support a general goal. It would be "a good thing" to make sure the early process of choosing a presidential nominee "reflect[ed] what America looks like," she said. "We should look at weaving in diversity more."
The Democratic National Committee, which sets the party's calendar for the presidential nomination, is considering a proposal that would allow any state to apply to host one of the early contests. Iowa, which has started the process for 50 years, would be given no special preference.
The principles that would be considered include a state's diversity, its competitiveness in the general election and its ability to conduct a "fair, transparent and inclusive nominating process."
The 2020 caucuses were so chaotic that no winner was declared until days later.