College Democrat view

Presidential election season officially kicked off last week with the Iowa caucus. President Trump obviously won his primary with 97% of the vote, and the Democratic sides’ results are a complete disaster that may never be completely solved. The New Hampshire results will hopefully be figured out by the time this is being read. Either way, there have been increasing talks on the issue of whether or not the primaries should start in these two incredibly white states. I believe they should not start there, as this gives candidates who appeal to voters of color a disadvantage.

Let’s start with Iowa. Iowa is 90% white, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Compare that to the entire country, which is 76% white. This means candidates who have a diverse coalition of voters are at a disadvantage, and those who only appeal to white people are at an advantage. Now some may argue that Iowa is just one state, which is true. However, the winner of the Iowa caucus receives a week of positive news cycles and a bump in polling due to the bandwagon effect. Look no further than Pete Buttigieg. He boldly declared victory with barely any precincts reporting and it paid off. He got three days of positive news cycles, which spiked his polling numbers in New Hampshire by up to five points in Emerson College’s Feb. 2 to Feb. 4 poll.

Now let’s talk about New Hampshire. It is 93% white, which puts candidates with diverse coalitions at another disadvantage. This gives candidates with overwhelmingly white coalitions yet another massive boost in polling and fundraising. Not to mention, in order to qualify for presidential debates after the primaries start, you need to be polling well in general, or in early states. Not getting on the stage because you didn’t do well in two white states is not fair.