全国民主党人正在推动改变该党的总统提名日历，党内高级官员提出了一项决议草案，将爱荷华州的全国第一地位置于危险之中。

早期各州的顺序在很大程度上决定了哪个候选人成为民主党提名人。

这项提案由民主党全国委员会规则和章程委员会共同主席吉姆·罗斯福和洛林·米勒共同发起，被称为促进多样性和竞争力，建立在早些时候试图消除爱荷华州(白人占多数)在提名过程中的领先地位。

如果获得通过，该决议将为希望在超级星期二之前举行初选的州建立六周的申请程序。然后，规则和章程委员会可以挑选五个州作为早期状态。爱荷华州、新罕布什尔州、南卡罗来纳州和内华达州目前是民主党总统初选的四个“早期州”

“RBC在每个总统选举周期的目标是构建一个反映政党多样性的提名流程;给各种类型的候选人机会和动力去接触各种类型的选民;体现了我们对美国民主的坚定信念;并最终产生最强有力的民主党总统候选人，”罗斯福和米勒在提案草案中写道，预计将在周一的虚拟会议上进行讨论。

《华盛顿邮报》首先报道了草案的细节。

上周，ABC新闻了解到新泽西州民主党游说民主党全国委员会主席杰米哈里森考虑作为早期的初选州。

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，内华达州正在私下争夺该州的初选，以取代爱荷华州成为全国第一。但这将与新罕布什尔州的法律相冲突，该法律规定该州的总统初选必须是全国第一。多年来，爱荷华州一直能够通过举行党团会议而不是初选来规避这种合法性。

彭博通过盖蒂图片社

乔·拜登和妻子吉尔·拜登在民主党全国代表大会期间看着虚拟观众

密歇根州民主党众议员黛比·丁格尔告诉美国广播公司新闻，她仍然认为爱荷华州和新罕布什尔州不应“对总统提名系统产生不适当的影响。”

丁格尔说:“我认为[密歇根州]应该有机会，但是我认为全国每个州都应该有机会轮流担任总统，让总统候选人知道你们的问题是什么。"每个地区都应该有机会获得像新罕布什尔州和爱荷华州那样的关注。"

密歇根民主党拒绝置评。

提名日程的任何潜在变化都必须在民主党全国委员会夏季会议之前敲定，成员们预计夏季会议将在8月或9月举行。

一位了解加拿大皇家银行会议的消息人士称，改变民主党全国委员会主要日程的时间敏感性是爱荷华州保持其领先地位的最有希望的牌之一。

传统的爱荷华州民主党人经常承认该州在纸面上缺乏多样性，但支持其多样化的理想。他们说，鹰眼州将第一位黑人总统巴拉克·奥巴马放在了地图上，然后选择了第一位女性总统候选人希拉里·克林顿。经过2020年长达一周的争议，该州选择了该国第一位公开同性恋身份的总统候选人皮特·布蒂吉格。

“我们是唯一一个没有在初选中选择白人老人的州，我们因不够多元化而受到抨击，”五届林恩县民主党主席布雷特·奈尔斯(Bret Nilles)说。

爱荷华州民主党人在2020年的大选中输掉了关键的郊区选区-其中大部分在2018年唐纳德·特朗普担任总统两年后变成了蓝色-这标志着这个通常是紫色的州发生了重大逆转。

尽管如此，爱荷华州在规则和章程委员会的代表斯科特·布伦南告诉ABC新闻，爱荷华州将继续为自己的地位而战。

布伦南说:“四个早期州的程序在选举民主党总统方面非常成功，即使是在一些充满挑战的时期。”。"我对我们为爱荷华州组织一次强有力的辩护没有任何顾虑."

“我们提供与农村人交谈的多样性，五分之一的美国人生活在农村地区，”他补充说。“因此，如果民主党人不能与农村人交谈，那么，你知道，我们有20%的美国选民投票，这往往被忽视。”

爱荷华州民主党没有回复置评请求，并让美国广播公司新闻部查阅了本月早些时候民主党全国委员会春季会议后发布的一份声明，该党主席罗斯·威尔本(Ross Wilburn)在声明中表示，他将“永远为爱荷华州保持领先地位而斗争”。

DNC leaders push to change presidential nominating schedule, putting Iowa's first-state status in peril

National Democrats are pushing to alter the party's presidential nomination calendar, with senior party officials proposing a draft resolution that puts Iowa's first-in-the-nation status in jeopardy.

The order of the early states is highly determinative in which candidate becomes the Democratic nominee.

The proposal, co-sponsored by DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee co-Chairs Jim Roosevelt and Lorraine Miller, is billed as promoting diversity and competitiveness, building on earlier attempts to remove Iowa -- which is majority white -- from being first in the nominating process.

If passed, the resolution would establish a six-week application process for states that want to hold their primary elections before Super Tuesday. The Rules and Bylaws Committee could then pick up to five states for early status. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada currently lead Democrats' presidential primary calendar as the four "early states."

"The RBC's goal in every presidential election cycle is to construct a nominating process that reflects the diversity of the party; gives candidates of all types the opportunity and incentive to meet voters of all types; exemplifies our passionate belief in American democracy; and ultimately produces the strongest possible Democratic nominee for president," write Roosevelt and Miller in the draft proposal, which is expected to be discussed at a virtual meeting Monday.

Details of the draft were first reported by the Washington Post.

Last week,ABC News learnedNew Jersey Democrats lobbied DNC Chair Jamie Harrison for consideration as an early primary state.

Nevada is privately vying for the state's primary to replace Iowa's as the first in the nation, according to The Washington Post. But that would conflict with New Hampshire law, which dictates the state's presidential primary must be first in the nation. Iowa for years has been able to circumvent that legality by holding a caucus, not a primary.

Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat, told ABC News that she continues to believe Iowa and New Hampshire should not have "a disappropriate impact on the presidential nominating system."

"I think [Michigan] should have a chance, but I think every state in the country should have an opportunity to be in that rotation, to have presidential candidates know what your issues are," said Dingell. "Every region should have their opportunity to get the kind of attention New Hampshire and Iowa do."

The Michigan Democratic Party declined to comment.

Any potential change to the nominating calendar would have to be finalized before the DNC's summer meeting, which members expect will occur in August or September.

A source with knowledge of RBC meetings said the time-sensitive nature of changing the DNC's primary calendar is one of the most promising cards Iowa has to play to keep its first spot in line.

Legacy Iowa Democrats often acknowledge the state's lack of diversity on paper but prop up its diverse ideals. The Hawkeye state, they say, put the first Black president -- Barack Obama -- on the map, and then selected the first female presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. After weekslong controversy in 2020, the state selected the country's first openly gay presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg.

"We're the only state that didn't select an old white guy in their primaries, and we're being knocked for not being diverse enough," said Bret Nilles, five-term Linn County Democratic Party chair.

Iowa Democrats' 2020 general election losses across key suburban districts -- most of which flipped blue two years into Donald Trump's presidency, in 2018 -- signified a significant reversal in the usually purple state.

Still, Iowa's representative to the Rules and Bylaws Committee, Scott Brennan, told ABC News that Iowa will continue to fight for its place.

"The four early state process, it's been very successful in electing Democratic presidents, even in some challenging times," Brennan said. "I don't have any concern about us putting together a vigorous defense of Iowa."

"We offer the diversity end of talking to rural folks, one in five Americans live in a rural area," he added. "So if Democrats can't talk to rural folks, then, you know, we've got 20% of the American voting electorate that is often overlooked."

The Iowa Democratic Party did not return a request for comment and referred ABC News to a statement it released after the DNC's spring meeting earlier this month, in which party Chair Ross Wilburn said he will "always fight for Iowa to remain first."