Let's talk about the Democrats' 2028 presidential primary calendar, part two
What are the implications on the race of the six states selected to hold contests in the Democrats' early window?
Over at FHQ:
New Mexico’s push for 2028 early primary status could encounter logistical challenges
Republicans in Concord draft bill to counter DNC move against NH primary
Maine Democrats fight national party on ranked-choice voting in 2028
Has New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation law outlived its usefulness?
Part One: Let’s talk about the Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary calendar — A closer look at the Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting where the early calendar decisions were made
So, the Democrats have a calendar for 2028.
Well, the Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) has adopted calendar rules and waivers for six states to hold early presidential primaries on the following dates:
South Carolina, January 22, 2028
Nevada, February 1, 2028
New Hampshire, February 8, 2028
New Mexico, February 15, 2028
Michigan, February 22, 2028
Virginia, February 29, 2028
Now those rules, as part of the amended delegate selection rules, the early state waivers, an updated Call for the Convention and amendments to the Charter and Bylaws all head to the full Democratic National Committee (DNC) for final approval next week at the party’s summer meeting in Austin, TX.
For now, let’s assume that the calendar rules pass as is as part of the broader package of changes the RBC will present to the full party membership in Austin. What then? That is a good question, followed by a near infinite set of additional, attendant questions. I want to spend a little time addressing some of those questions below the fold.
But before I jump in I want to note how little we know right now. There is a calendar. It will have one to two more states in the early window than was the case during the last competitive Democratic presidential nomination cycle in 2020. Additionally, there will very likely be A LOT of candidates who initially throw their hats in the ring. Of course, some may run for 2028 but not actually end up running in 2028. Oh, and there are also some delegate allocation rules too.
While there are also other things that we know, there is more that we do not know at this stage. Standing between the here and now and January 1, 2028, to choose one arbitrary date before primary season truly kicks off, is a sea of invisible primary activities that will help fill in many but certainly not all of those blanks. Primary season itself will finish that job.
All of that is to say that a bit of caution is warranted. The coulds in the direction this thing could go are numerous. Anyway, let’s pose and answer some questions.