Thread by @harrisonjaime

🧵Today, we are seeing more Black candidates running for statewide office as well as Black political operatives running statewide campaigns- i.e. uber-talent like @quentinfulks.

However, the glass breaker herself @donnabrazile will tell you this has not always been the case.

Seeing Black political operatives in senior positions on campaigns was rare in presidential politics & specifically in SC.

Things began to shift after the DNC adjusted its presidential primary calendar in ‘06 & new opportunities began to emerge for Black operatives.

As many of you know, I worked for @WhipClyburn on Capitol Hill for yrs & helped with his political work. I was with him when SC & NV received the DNC’s nod to become early states.

SC’s first primary election as the 1st in the South was in 2008. It was a year for many firsts…

Shortly after SC received the nod, a few of us pulled together a meeting of young Black SC Politicos at the Clarion in Columbia.

We discussed the opportunity the ‘08 primary created & the need to make sure that young Black activists were not passed over for senior positions.

In ‘06 I had just become the first Black Executive Dir. of the US House Democratic Caucus, but at that time in SC, there had never been a Black person to manage a Presidential Campaign. We wanted to change that. It was an amazing field of Democratic candidates that included…

Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama, Sen. Joe Biden, Gov. Bill Richardson, & others.

Democratic Presidential Politics was also introduced to the famous Clyburn Fish Fry (then held in a garage)- free fish, free 🥃, & a lot of free political advice. c-span.org/video/?197859-…

Candidates had to adjust to the new political dynamics and diversity SC brought to the presidential process. Many candidates diversified not only their strategies but their personnel to fit a primary where 50-60% of the primary electorate was Black and the majority were women.

Sen. Clinton hired Kelly Adams to serve as her SC State Director and Sen. Obama hired Stacey Brayboy as his Director and Anton Gunn as his Political Director. Kelly & Stacey were the first Black Women to lead campaigns in the state. It was a game changer.

Fast forward to 2019/2020, the Clyburn Fish Fry (now out of the garage) was overflowing with thousands in attendance and 20 Democratic candidates running for President on one stage. It was a great political moment, but the thing of long-lasting consequence was this….

The kicker was that the majority of those 20 candidates seriously competing in SC had hired young Black Women & Men- stars like Kendall Corley, @cspain1920, @claynmiddleton, Jalisa Washington Price, @MrCulbreath to run their campaigns. bostonglobe.com/news/politics/… #Transformational

Since becoming an early state, SC’s primary results HAVE ALWAYS shaped the eventual nominee for the Democratic Party, but the enduring impact of SC on our Presidential Primary process is that it has helped open the door for more Black Women & Men to show their talents & shine!

I’m positive that Nevada’s entry into the early state window has had an equal impact on creating and elevating Latino/Latina superstars as well…. I’m thinking of my friends like @emmyruiz @ArtieBlancoSays @alanamounce #SuperStars

Bottomline, the President’s Plan to once again diversify our Presidential Primary process by elevating SC, NV, maintaining NH, & adding GA & MI will only accelerate this process.

SC has already improved our primaries in many ways & will continue to do so moving forward!

Thread roll @threadreaderapp