WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective PAC — the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation and power across all levels of government — is urging the Democratic National Committee to choose Nevada as the first Presidential Primary and to continue to defend South Carolina’s critical role as an early state and the first Southern state in the pre-window. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will vote on a new early states calendar for the presidential primary this weekend.
Founders of The Collective PAC, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement:
“We know that our government is better and more responsive when we have a political process that reflects and respects the diversity of our communities. As Democrats aim to update the Presidential primary calendar, we need to continue to take steps forward that bring more Black voters into the process and build Black political power. That’s why Collective PAC is joining the call to urge the Democratic National Committee to make Nevada the First in the Nation nominating state and preserve South Carolina in the early window.
As a majority-minority state that prioritizes voting access for every community, Nevada better represents the diverse voices that make up the winning coalitions that have delivered Democratic success than New Hampshire or Iowa, two of the least diverse states in the entire nation. South Carolina has also demonstrated its worth as a seasoned and accessible early state representing the South that empowers presidential candidates with strong support from the Black community. Updating the Presidential primary calendar by uplifting states like Nevada and South Caroline is how we can increase equity and make our democracy more inclusive.”
Throughout the 2022 election cycle, The Collective PAC endorsed 252 candidates across the country and invested approximately $700,000 through direct contributions to those campaigns and bundled $333,823 for federal and statewide candidates — totaling over one million dollars. In addition to financial support, The Collective PAC organized 10 text banks for high priority races in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Ohio, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Through these organizing efforts, volunteers contacted 2.6 million low-propensity Black voters (those who voted previously but did not vote in 2020 or 2018) to encourage them to turn out to the polls.
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC
The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has successfully helped 422 Black candidates win elections across the United States.