(KIWA Staff Photo)Washington, D.C. (RI) — National Democratic Party leaders have approved the early voting schedule for the 2028 presidential nominating process — and the Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses are not included among the early contests.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart says national Democrats failed to learn from the consequences of removing Iowa from its lead-off role in 2024.
The party’s new 2028 calendar places South Carolina first, followd by Nevada, then New Hampshire. In 2024, New Hampshire officials ignored the national party’s shuffled calendar and held their presidential primary first, as required by state law. The plan to add Georgia as an early contest also fell apart.
Hart says similar chaos is likely in 2028 — while Iowa Republicans will again hold first-in-the-nation Caucuses.
Democratic candidates Rob Sand, running for governor, and Josh Turek, the party’s U.S. Senate nominee, have both said Iowa Democrats should follow state law and hold their Caucuses first as well. Some Iowa Democrats argue the Caucuses draw attention away from local races and that the party should concede the early spot to other states.
The Democratic National Committee has voted to add New Mexico and Virginia to its list of early 2028 primaries and selected Michigan — rather than Iowa or Illinois — to hold a primary on February 22nd.
