If passed, the proposal would represent the most serious threat to Iowa’s status as the nation’s first, as the largely white state is no longer a battleground and is legally obliged to conduct parliamentary groups. Most of the members who spoke at the meeting approved the plan, with only a slight skepticism coming from members in the current first states. Committee member Maria Cardona, a Democrat general and CNN political commentator, stressed the need for the “diversity party” to “really implement a credible, open and transparent process that also reflects all the different communities we say we represent.” “We can not just do the same thing over and over again because it is a tradition or because it’s the status quo. Our country is changing. We have to change with it,” Cardona said. Leah Daughtry, another member of the committee, said, “We can not stick to a 50-year-old calendar as we try to win the 2022 and 2024 elections. This must be an ever-evolving process.” Some skepticism came from Scott Brennan, a member of the Iowa committee, and Carol Fowler, a member from South Carolina. Both raised questions about some of the language of the proposal, including Brennan, who said the commission’s “lydia stone” should be to find a process that “produces the strongest possible Democratic nominee for president.” Democrats in Iowa have long argued that the state is helping to create strong candidates for the presidency. Fowler asked questions about how the commission could ensure that the first states were small states, as many presidential campaigns do not have the money to compete in large media markets in the early days of a presidential race. Fowler suggested that former presidential candidates be asked what they thought of the changes before making them. No member has made it clear that he will vote against the measure. The next steps in the process are another meeting of the Committee on Rules and Regulations in April and then virtual public hearings. The full Democratic National Committee must vote on this change and the purpose of the Rules Committee is to have the proposal ready by the next DNC ​​meeting, which is expected to take place in August or September.