"Republicans in Concord draft bill to counter DNC move against NH primary"

Adam Sexton at WMUR on the backlash in New Hampshire to the new DNC calendar rules for 2028:

"In the wake of a vote against the New Hampshire primary by the Democratic National Committee, Republicans at the State House are drafting a bill to tie taking part in the primary to access for the November ballot for presidential nominees.

"Republicans are preparing a legislative counterpunch to the DNC's move against New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primary status."

"'The Democratic National Committee can make whatever sets of rules that they want in respect to our New Hampshire primary,' said state Rep. Joe Sweeney, R-Salem. 'We as a state can also make any sets of rules that we want in respect to who has ballot access in the state of New Hampshire.'

"Sweeney is drafting a bill to tie November election ballot access for presidential nominees to participation in New Hampshire's presidential primary."

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Noteworthy: This is the first of what will be many, many (formal) responses to the new DNC calendar rules recently passed by the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee in the Granite state. It is also, as Kathy Sullivan noted in the Sexton's piece, unconstitutional. The matter of which side takes precedence in these matters where state laws conflict with national party rules has been repeatedly litigated over the years. And the courts more often than not side with the parties. It is they who ultimately get to determine the rules of their nominations (with some limits). But yes, that has been complicated over the years by states becoming more directly involved in the process via the state-funded primary. 

But this move by Rep. Sweeney is trying to win a battle while likely losing the war. If this draft bill were to become law, it would likely further erode the first-in-the-nation primary law by putting even more space between the state government and the state parties on the issue than the DNC calendar rules already have over the last two cycles. 

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

Democrats devise their own super penalty for primary calendar violations 

The Rules and Bylaws Committee adopted new enhanced penalties to punish states and candidates who break timing rules in 2028

"Maine Democrats fight national party on ranked-choice voting in 2028"

Benjamin Kail at the Bangor Daily News reports on the reaction in Maine to a DNC rule proposal on ranked choice voting:

"Democratic lawmakers in Maine alongside ranked-choice voting advocates are fighting a proposal by the national party that would restrict the process in 2028’s presidential primaries.

"The Democratic National Committee in a little more than two weeks will decide on a proposed rule change that would bar ranked-choice tabulation for delegate allocation. Maine lawmakers who embraced the voting system years ago say the change could keep the state’s delegates from being seated at the 2028 convention."

...

"The DNC says ranked-choice voting is incompatible with the party’s delegate allocation process, but that its new rules will include a carveout for states like Maine where it is on the books. If the proposal goes into effect along with DNC rules after a full meeting on Aug. 15, only the first round will be considered for delegate allocation purposes."

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Noteworthy: I will have more to say on this over at FHQ Plus either over the weekend or early next week, but for now I will say that state-based concern over delegates not being seated at the national convention is probably a tad premature if not overblown. The rule under consideration by the full DNC next month -- it already passed the party's Rules and Bylaws Committee twice -- would not "bar states from using a ranked ballot." Under the rule, the Maine ranked choice voting and tabulation can proceed, if necessary, after the likely Super Tuesday primary in 2028. But only the results from the first round would be used for the purposes of allocating national convention delegates slots. 

For Democratic delegates from the Pine Tree state to be affected at the convention, the Maine Democratic Party would have press on with a plan to use the ranked choice tabulation for determining delegate allocation in their delegate selection plan, a document that has to be submitted to, reviewed and approved, yes, the Rules and Bylaws Committee. All of that will happen next year, starting in the spring with submissions, continuing with reviews in the summer and perhaps into the fall. That is a lot of back and forth and a lot of opportunities to square the differences between the two sides and bring some plan into compliance with the DNC rules. 

...you know, if the proposed RCV rule is adopted next month. That is the next thing to watch for in all of this.

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The Democrats and ranked choice voting in the 2028 presidential nomination process

Coming off a Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting primarily devoted to the primary calendar, the headline maybe instead should be about RCV.

"Has New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation law outlived its usefulness?"

UNH political scientist Dante Scala provides some Granite state perspective on the the FITN presidential primary:

"New Hampshire’s political elites quickly pointed fingers after a Democratic National Committee panel voted Friday to strip the Granite State of its first-in-the-nation status on the presidential nomination calendar. Republican elites blamed Democrats for the Rules and Bylaws Committee decision. Democratic elites blamed their national party leadership. What neither side did, but should, is consider the following: On their watch, New Hampshire has become much less capable of defending its role in the process."

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Noteworthy: Look, I would like to just copy and paste all of Scala's piece here. It is such helpful grounding for understanding the place of New Hampshire's presidential primary in an ever-changing nomination system and the utility of the infamous law that has protected its early position in the process for decades. Highly recommended piece. Go read it.

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

Democrats devise their own super penalty for primary calendar violations 

The Rules and Bylaws Committee adopted new enhanced penalties to punish states and candidates who break timing rules in 2028

At FHQ Plus: Let's talk about the Democrats' 2028 presidential primary calendar, part one

Over at FHQ Plus...

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 month at the party’s summer meeting in Austin, TX. Yes, that is another hurdle the complete rules package for 2028 has to first clear.

No, it is unlikely that there will be much resistance or that any that arises will be enough to derail the rules package the RBC will report to the full body. For example, the 2024 calendar rules and waivers were brought before the DNC in February 2023 and while the package was opened to discussion on the floor of the meeting, the rules were adopted as is.

A cycle earlier, in 2018, when the proposed delegate selection rules came before the full DNC, the calendar process was operating under the old (pre-2024) rules — the early calendar positions of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina were written directly into the rules — there was more discussion than there was in 2023. But it was not over the calendar. Rather, the heated discussion at the DNC meeting that adopted rules that cycle was over the superdelegate changes recommended by the Unity Reform Commission with language later crafted by the RBC. There, some amendments were heard and adopted, but they were minor in scope.

A similar discussion, if not debate, may arise in Austin. There may even be some subtle changes made to the rules package. But, again, that is unlikely to include changes to the calendar proposal above. That, or something close to it, will be the schedule that commences the voting phase of the Democratic presidential nomination process in 2028.

But before weighing on the impact of that calendar of primaries and caucuses for 2028 (the future part two of this series of posts), I want to talk some about the Friday session of the RBC meeting. There were a number of state-level responses, both jubilant and defiant, from state parties and the local media and a number of national accounts that mainly focused on the divisions on the committee (and in the broader party coalition) over which state should be first. However, to FHQ’s mind, there were, big surprise, a few things that flew under the radar that deserve some attention. I will focus on those items over at FHQ Plus.

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar 

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

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"Iowa Dems call 2028 presidential calendar snub a 'slap in the face'"

Brianne Pfannestiel at the Des Moines Register shares the reaction in Iowa as Hawkeye state Democrats are on the outside looking in on the early calendar again for 2028:

"Iowa have been shut out of an officially sanctioned spot on the 2028 presidential primary calendar, despite national Democrats expanding the map to include two additional early voting states.

"The Rules and Bylaws Committee, the powerful arm of the Democratic National Committee that sets the presidential nominating calendar, voted Friday, July 24 to again bypass Iowa and instead start the 2028 primary process in South Carolina."

...

"But even as they [the Iowa Democratic Party] left the door wide open to holding a rogue first-in-the-nation caucus in defiance of the national party, Iowa’s next steps remain unclear.

"[Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita] Hart and other Iowa Democratic Party leaders said Friday they intend to first focus on the 2026 winning elections."

...

“'We’ll have more to say after November,' Hart said."

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Robin Opsahl from the Iowa Capital Dispatch with a quote from former Iowa RBC member, Scott Brennan: 

"Scott Brennan, an Iowan serving on the DNC and a former member of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, said in a news conference Friday he expected Iowa would not be chosen in the early window once again. Brennan lost his spot on the RBC in 2025, after the election of DNC Chair Ken Martin earlier that year.

“'Look, I’m not surprised by this decision,' Brennan said. 'It was probably decided 18 months ago when the new members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee were appointed by Chair Martin. … When we lost the White House, we did make a good faith effort to share our concerns, but clearly, our case was not heard by this committee or Chair Martin.'”

More on the RBC membership decisions by DNC Chair Martin here.

...

More from Hart via Iowa Capital Dispatch:

"'I had this conversation with Ken Martin and with some of the members of the RBC, that it’s pretty hard to defend any kind of situation that we’re in right now,” Hart said. “When we got slapped last time, when we worked in cooperation with the DNC and lost our representation on the RBC, in comparison to other states that did not cooperate and got rewarded. So it’s really hard to make a case to these people that say, you know, ‘why work with the DNC going forward?’ But I would say that that is a conversation that is not doesn’t need to be taking place right now. As we, when we get to November, and we have some newly elected Democratic officials, they’re gonna have some things to say about that, along with the rest of our Democrats.'"

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Others in Iowa politics also weighed in: 

Democratic US Senate nominee Josh Turek:

"Speaking with reporters after a joint event in Des Moines, Turek was asked whether Iowa should go first regardless of the committee's decision.

"'Yes,' Turek said. 'Iowa law is really clear. We go first. And in the U.S. Senate I’m there to represent Iowa and Iowans regardless over any other interest or group.'"

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

Democrats devise their own super penalty for primary calendar violations 

The Rules and Bylaws Committee adopted new enhanced penalties to punish states and candidates who break timing rules in 2028

"Democrats move Va. up to 6th state for presidential primary"

Michael Martz at the Richmond Times-Dispatch with the reaction in the commonwealth to Virginia's inclusion in the Democrats' early window for 2028:

"Virginia voters won't have to wait until Super Tuesday to pick a Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.

"The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee proposed Virginia as the sixth state on the early presidential primary calendar in 2028, with the election scheduled on Feb. 29 — leap day. It will follow Democratic presidential primaries in South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Michigan under the calendar that the committee adopted on Friday.

"The decision means that Virginia won't have to compete with other states for the attention of presidential candidates, as it did on Super Tuesday in early March."

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The reaction from Democratic Party of Virginia Chair Lamont Bagby: 

"We are appreciative of the Rules and Bylaws Committee's decision to recommend that Virginia receive a waiver to become an early primary state in the upcoming Presidential primary calendar. Virginia reflects the diversity. priorities, and experiences of voters across the country.

"Virginia voters have a long history of testing and then electing exceptional leaders. We will now have the opportunity to do that in an early and influential Democratic Presidential primary and that will help set the stage to elect a Democratic President."

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar 

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

"Michigan Selected for Early Window of DNC’s 2028 Primary Calendar"

Michigan Democratic Party press release:

"Today, the Democratic National Committee announced that Michigan was selected by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee to hold its primary election in the early window of the 2028 presidential primary calendar. In response, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel shared the following statement:

“'The road to the White House runs through Michigan, and we are proud to be in the early window of the 2028 presidential primary calendar. Michigan is the most diverse battleground state in the nation, and a candidate who can win here can win nationwide. We thank the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee for recognizing Michigan’s importance, and we look forward to ensuring Michigan voters make their voices heard. So goes Michigan, so goes the nation.'”

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Noteworthy: Currently, the Michigan presidential primary is scheduled by state law for the fourth Tuesday in February. That falls on February 22, 2028, the date the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee slotted the state into on the party's 2028 presidential primary calendar.

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar 

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

"National Democratic committee recommends New Mexico move up on the calendar for presidential primary"

Joshua Bowling at Source NM has the latest on one of the new states added to the Democrats' 2028 presidential primary calendar:

"The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee on Friday voted to catapult New Mexico’s 2028 presidential primary election to fourth in the country.

...

"In a statement Friday, Lujan Grisham said she appreciated the DNC committee members taking her pitch seriously.

“'For years, I’ve said the same thing: you cannot show up for Hispanic voters in November after Democrats have already picked a nominee. You have to engage with them from the start. Today, national Democrats agreed,' she wrote. 'New Mexico is the most Hispanic state in America, and we’re the only border state in this early window. Now, candidates who want to be taken seriously on immigration and the border are going to have to come to New Mexico and earn it.'

“'Making New Mexico an early primary state will help put our state on the national stage, increase investment in our communities, expand our tourism economy and give New Mexicans a stronger voice in shaping the policies of our nation,' Lujan Grisham said."

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Noteworthy: The New Mexico presidential primary, consolidated with those for other offices, is currently scheduled for June 6, 2028. State government is under unified Democratic control and will have to change state law to accommodate the shift to February. Recent efforts -- in 2015 and 2020 -- to move the primary have failed, the former to move the entire consolidated primary from June to March and the latter to create a separate presidential primary election in January. It remains to be seen which route of the two decision makers in the Land of Enchantment will pursue in their efforts to meet the criteria of the rules handed down by the Rules and Bylaws Committee (and ultimately the DNC).

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar 

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

"New Hampshire politicians defiant after DNC picks South Carolina for first-in-the-nation presidential primary"

Steven Porter at the Boston Globe on New Hampshire Democrats now staring down a conflict between state law and DNC rules that now slot the Granite state presidential primary third:

"New Hampshire politicians from both major parties reacted with outrage and defiance on Friday after an influential rulemaking body of the Democratic National Committee selected South Carolina to host first party-approved primary on the 2028 presidential nominating calendar, once again bumping New Hampshire.

"The DNC’s plan, which seems poised for final approval in August, calls for New Hampshire to vote third, after Nevada. But that would contradict a state law that requires New Hampshire’s top election official to schedule the state-run presidential primary to occur at least seven days before any similar election.

"New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan, a Republican, said the state will follow its law and maintain a first-in-the-nation tradition that has endured for more than a century. In other words, Granite Staters will hold their primary vote first in 2028 regardless of what the DNC’s calendar says, just as they did in the 2024 cycle."

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New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley's statement on the Rules and Bylaws Committee decision: 

Today's vote shows that many party insiders have learned nothing from 2024. New Hampshire has a proven track record of testing our candidates with a rigorous, fair, and efficient process, yet those qualities did not prevail. This committee's vote does not change the realities governing New Hampshire's primary, which are beyond the control of both this committee and our state party. Democrats' guiding North Star should be winning general elections, and New Hampshire Democrats will get back to work focusing on the 2026 elections and addressing the significant challenges facing America's overwhelmed working class. Today's vote moves the party further away from that objective.

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New Hampshire's all-Democratic congressional delegation also weighed in: 

The Democratic National Committee's decision today is wrong for Democrats, wrong for New Hampshire, and wrong for the country. New Hampshire's First in the Nation primary is a tested proving ground in a closely contested swing state that forges better candidates and better presidents -- and despite what DNC insiders say, that hasn't changed. As a state with highly engaged voters, we put candidates through their paces and thoroughly vet them. And our small size means that actually meeting and talking to voters takes precedence over super PACs or mega-donor-fueled campaigns. Regardless of today's vote, Granite Staters remain committed to the hard work of organizing and electing candidates who stand up for our Live Free or Die values.

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

Democrats devise their own super penalty for primary calendar violations 

The Rules and Bylaws Committee adopted new enhanced penalties to punish states and candidates who break timing rules in 2028

"Nevada Democrats won't vote for president first in 2028. Here's what it means."

Mini Racker at the Nevada Independent on Nevada's place on the 2028 Democratic presidential primary calendar:

"Despite a hard-fought campaign to host the first presidential primary of 2028, Nevada Democrats lost out to South Carolina after a powerful Democratic National Committee panel voted on Friday. The state is instead scheduled to host the second early primary on Feb. 1, 2028.

"It's a major disappointment for Nevada proponents who looked forward to the Silver State getting intense attention from Democratic presidential candidates and an outsized role in setting the political agenda in the coming cycle."

...

"Nevada lost out on the opportunity by a vote of 26 to 19, with four members of the committee voting for New Hampshire. Many of Nevada's supporters were younger, newer members of the committee and those from Western states. Opponents raised concerns about Nevada's ability to name a winner on primary night, though Nevadans on the panel argued election reforms would address those worries."

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The reaction from the Nevada Democratic Party: 

Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno released the following statement in response to the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee recommending Nevada be Democrats’ first presidential primary in the West:

“We’ve been consistent all along, putting Nevada first best sets our party up for success. Nevada is the broad coalition of diverse voices—Latino, Black, AANHPI, and Native American as well as white working-class voters—our party must win back if we’re serious about flipping the White House in 2028.

“As an early state and the first true test of a candidate’s ability to win in a general election, we will play a critical role in the nomination process.”

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar 

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees