The Nevada State Democratic Party formally petitioned its national counterpart to allow Democrats in the Silver State to vote first in the party’s 2028 presidential primaries.
The proposal — submitted Friday to the Democratic National Committee — cites the party’s voter diversity in the state, Nevada’s geographical positioning and progressive voting laws.
“There’s no better proving ground for any Democratic presidential contender than a union-strong, majority-minority, competitive battleground state,” Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said in a statement. “Putting a state that looks like America at the front of the calendar will put our party in the strongest position to win back the White House.”
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws committee in October set a Friday application deadline for states interested in voting early in the presidential primaries.
“Establishing the nominating calendar is one of the most important responsibilities of the Rules and Bylaws Committee, and we are committed to executing a fair and transparent process that will deliver a battle-tested nominee who will win back the White House for Democrats,” said DNC co-Chairs Minyon Moore and James Roosevelt Jr. in a statement at the time.
According to party rules, the committee will pick up to five states for the early calendar, which have to be representative of each of the country’s four regions.
Politico reported that state Democratic parties in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, Iowa and Georgia have also petitioned to vote early in the presidential primary.
Nevada Democrats have been trying to play a bigger role in selecting the president since at least the 2008 election season, when late Sen. Harry Reid advocated for Nevada to be the first in the west to pick the Democratic candidate.
In recent elections, Nevada has been among the earliest states to vote early in the process, along with Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire.
States will be evaluated on three qualifications: The ability to put candidates in front of diverse groups of voters; the state’s affordability in terms of campaigning, and “the practical ability to run a fair, transparent, and inclusive primary or caucus,” the DNC said.
Monroe-Moreno said Nevada meets those requirements.
“Nevada is the most working-class and most diverse battleground state in the nation. We have a majority-minority population, and we have the highest concentration of non-college educated voters of all battlegrounds,” she said. “We are also home to urban, suburban, and rural communities, making us geographically diverse. Nevada looks like America and best represents the coalition we need to win in 2028.”
Nevada’s geography and population of about 3 million residents and the state’s two major media markets allow candidates to conduct face-to-face politicking, she said. Furthermore, the state has wide voting access.
The party said its effort to move up in the calendar has received support from Nevada’s Democratic congressional delegation and the state’s largest unions.
Nevada can test candidates better than other states, the petition said. “A candidate who can successfully craft a winning message and strategy with the diverse voters of Nevada will have the experience of appealing to and winning exactly the electorate that a Democratic nominee for president will need to win the general election nationally, and create momentum in other battleground states.”
Nevada law calls for the presidential preference primary to be held the first Tuesday of February during each election year.
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
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