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DNC considers changing presidential primary election calendar

Democratic leaders are considering allowing any state to apply for one of the coveted early slots, threatening Iowa's place as the first primary election.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Democratic National Committee moved a step closer to making a major change to its presidential primary calendar Wednesday, putting Iowa in jeopardy of losing its place as the first-in-the-nation race. 

The DNC's Rules & Bylaws Committee approved a plan that would allow any state to apply to be one of the coveted early states, NBC News reported. The current primary calendar goes Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. 

NBC reported that the new calendar is expected to be announced by July 15, and would need to be approved by the full DNC. Iowa has long faced criticism from Democrats who say it doesn't fit the party's profile well enough to play such a crucial role in the nominating process.

"I personally believe, and I think I'm not speaking just for myself, that this is a powerful resolution of a thoughtful process that is going to be inclusive of all Democrats," Jim Roosevelt Jr., who co-chairs the Rules and Bylaws Committee, told NPR after the measure passed Wednesday night. "That's our goal."

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President Joe Biden struggled in Iowa and was defeated by Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire and Nevada before he won the South Carolina primary to catapult his nomination in 2020. 

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EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this story mistakenly stated Biden won the Nevada primary.

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