It appears Iowa Democrats will face sanctions from the national party if they schedule their Caucuses as the first voting event in the 2028 presidential campaign.
The Iowa Democratic Party’s Caucuses had been first-in-the-nation for decades, but coding issues delayed the release of 2020 Iowa Caucus results for three days and the Democratic National Committee forbid the party from hosting the lead-off event in 2024. The party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee today picked six other states to hold early presidential primaries in 2028, with Michigan representing the Midwest in that group.
Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow is a member of the panel that made the decision. “I think it is very important that we stop using the phrase, ‘First in the Nation.’ What we are doing today is telling the story of who we are as a Democratic Party,” Stabenow said, drawing applause from other members of the panel, then later raising her voice to add: “Don’t anybody use the language ‘first in the country’ now. There are going to be six states that are first in the country to make sure that every single segment are going to be part of this story.”
The six states will not vote on the same day, however, and party leaders have decided South Carolina Democrats will vote first. Other states in the early voting block are Nevada and New Hampshire, which has a state law requiring its presidential primary to be held before all others. The Democratic National Committee will vote in August to set its 2028 presidential primary calendar. The Rules and Bylaws panel is recommending the states vote in this order: South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia.
Meanwhile, the Iowa Republican Party is poised to host Caucuses in 2028 that will be the first voting test for GOP presidential candidates.