Josh Putnam

It was not, nor was Charlotte.

...as much as it pains this Tar Heel to say that.

There was some chatter on Rules & Bylaws last time around about getting rid of bonus delegates as a means of alleviating the problem, but it was punted to future cycles.

We'll see if there is any openness to that idea as the RBC digs into the DNC delegate selection rules in the coming months. 4/4

The Unity Reform Commission and Superdelegates Let's talk about the superdelegates. FHQ has largely steered clear of the topic of the unpledged delegates within the Democratic president...

That was reined in some for 2012 and leveled off thereafter until superdelegates were redefined out of the primary season equation starting in 2020. [But they are still a part of the convention.] 3/
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One member of the Democratic Change Commission, the post-2008 body charged with reexamining the delegate selection rules, referenced "superdelegate creep," the growth in automatic delegates over time. 2/
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The thing is -- and this comes up each cycle -- that Democrats have delegated themselves into a corner on convention sites. There just aren't that many cities that can accommodate all of the delegates. 1/

Bye bye backdoor winner-take-all The Republican delegate rules for 2028 have one less allocation loophole than in past cycles

FHQ takes an expansive look at rules changes Republicans have made (so far) for 2028. First under the microscope?

Backdoor winner-take-all delegate allocation. The practice looks to have been shown the door.
www.fhqplus.com/p/bye-bye-ba...

Bye bye backdoor winner-take-all The Republican delegate rules for 2028 have one less allocation loophole than in past cycles

FHQ takes an expansive look at rules changes Republicans have made (so far) for 2028. First under the microscope?

Backdoor winner-take-all delegate allocation. The practice looks to have been shown the door.
www.fhqplus.com/p/bye-bye-ba...

Now we know which states they are looking at Some thoughts on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar process now that the deadline for state parties to apply with the DNC has come and gone

The midterms will bring more certainty and potentially more options for the DNC.

...but will obviously affect how ambitious likely White House aspirants mete out their valuable time. 6/6
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If an early calendar lineup gets announced by the DNC in April, then it will be NH, NV, SC & MI with any 5th early state coming from a pool of IA, VA or the solidly blue states that can get a move done. The options are limited and as such the party is likely to wait until after the midterms. 5/

How long will Democratic presidential contenders keep going to Iowa? Possible 2028 Democrats keep trekking to the Hawkeye state but those visits aren't guaranteed to last. Here's why.

Still, that travel pattern -- going to early states -- will continue to operate until there is more certainty from the DNC. Probably after the midterms. 4/
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IA stops have seemed to have dropped off so far in 2026, but it is hard to say if that is a function of the potential for being barred from future debates. After all, those rules (penalties) have not been set for the cycle yet. Although, it is tough to imagine the DNC slacking off on that front. 3/

I don't have a sense of how much different that is from past cycles when the calendar was clearer at this point in the cycle. Probably fewer total visits (per likely candidate) if I had to guess. 2/

Good piece from Seth.

FWIW, ambitious Dems to this point have been behaving as if the 2028 calendar was going to be a traditional one. A disproportionate number of their visits have been to IA, NH, NV & SC (& to some degree MI). Visits to those places still grab attention at this stage. 1/

Is the DNC already shaping the 2028 presidential contest? Republicans are campaigning in Iowa; Democrats don't know where to go

New at Tusk: Republicans are campaigning in Iowa; Democrats don't know where to go

Now we know which states they are looking at Some thoughts on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar process now that the deadline for state parties to apply with the DNC has come and gone

NC Dems *do* have a good argument for why the state's primary should be among if not the first state on the primary calendar and the state party has a willingness to be there. They just probably don't have ability to this time. 4/4
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Convincing Republicans in the legislature fund a separate primary for both parties to remain compliant with both national parties' rules is not either. Neither is convincing the RNC to alternatively add NC (or another state) to their early calendar. They seem dead set on IA, NH, NV & SC for 2028. 3/

But for 2028, NC Dems face too many obstacles, too many Republican veto points. Convincing GOP folks in the General Assembly to move the primary for economic benefits of any early primary is easy. Convincing them to swallow RNC penalties for a primary that's too early under RNC rules is not. 2/

Good interview. If nothing else, NC Dems replying to the request for proposals from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee for early state status in 2028 puts the national party on notice that NC Dems intend to be a player for an early primary calendar spot for *future* cycles. But for 2028?
1/

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

Lots of stuff there, but there is some attention given to coverage focused more on the potential for a "shake up" to the early calendar for Democrats in 2028 than on the constraints that augur against much change from 2024.
www.fhqplus.com/p/some-addit...

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

Heading into the weekend, I had some extended thoughts on the recent DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting focused on the 2028 presidential primary calendar.
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DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee moves all 12 states vying for early state status for 2028 to next stage State parties will now make in-person presentations to the panel for inclusion in the early window

New at FHQ Plus...
DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee moves all 12 states vying for early state status for 2028 to next stage

State parties will now make in-person presentations to the panel for inclusion in the early window
www.fhqplus.com/p/dnc-rules-...

DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee moves all 12 states vying for early state status for 2028 to next stage State parties will now make in-person presentations to the panel for inclusion in the early window

New at FHQ Plus...
DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee moves all 12 states vying for early state status for 2028 to next stage

State parties will now make in-person presentations to the panel for inclusion in the early window
www.fhqplus.com/p/dnc-rules-...

But again, feasibility of movement affects that story to a great degree. But the competition for any would-be 5th slot in the early window will be about that "story" as this process continues.
11/11

By extension, something that was raised a few times was how the party (working through the RBC) wants to tell a story with the early window; that the party wants to tell a story about the itself and its priorities through the early state lineup.
10/

Now we know which states they are looking at Some thoughts on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar process now that the deadline for state parties to apply with the DNC has come and gone

Another important point raised was that just because more applicants for early state status are from the south does not automatically mean that a southern state would snag any would-be 5th slot in the Democrats' early window for 2028. Also something I've raised...
9/
www.fhqplus.com/p/now-we-kno...

Now we know which states they are looking at Some thoughts on the 2028 Democratic primary calendar process now that the deadline for state parties to apply with the DNC has come and gone

Feasibility was a big part of that. Basically: "How do states/state parties facilitate a primary date change?"
And well...
8/
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So what was the point of this meeting if not to pare the list down some (as was the case four years ago)?

It was an opportunity for the committee to ask questions and raise issues with the applications that they wanted state parties to address during the presentation phase.
7/

The second half of states were treated in more of a lightning round, post-break: six states -- NC, SC, TN, VA, NV & NM -- up and all six through to the presentation stage.

*No states were eliminated.*
6/

And as noted earlier...
In other news from the meeting affecting the calendar outside of the early window/pre-Super Tuesday states. 5/
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*The RBC in its actions so far also answered questions about solidly blue state parties that have applied. Both DE & IL were advanced to the next stage. [Blue state status was not disqualifying *at this stage of the process*.] 4/