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Some additional thoughts on the Democrats' recent 2028 primary calendar meeting

Learning, incentives, appearance versus reality and the limits of the national parties in calendar crafting

Josh Putnam's avatar
Josh Putnam
Feb 06, 2026
∙ Paid

At FHQ: Democrats to shake up primary map, as 12 states vie to be among the first


a close up of a calendar on a table
Photo by Road Ahead on Unsplash

Yes, FHQ already weighed in on the January 31 meeting of the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee both here and during the meeting on Bluesky. But those were all quick reactions and after some additional time for reflection, you guessed it, I have a few more thoughts.

Sure, some of it is reaction to the media reaction to the meeting, but the heart of the matter is that folks are still balancing the chatter about the early calendar selection process wrong.

So let’s dig in with some nuance…

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