The Iowa Democratic Party is conducting a survey to gauge whether Iowa Democrats favor hosting Caucuses at the start of the 2028 presidential campaign — no matter what. At President Biden’s urging, national party leaders forbid Iowa Democrats from continuing their tradition of holding first-in-the-nation Caucuses in 2024. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says the Biden Calendar was a big mistake.
Hart says when she was reelected Iowa Democratic Party chair in January, she promised a family conversation about Iowa’s role in the next presidential campaign.
Scott Brennan of Des Moines, a member of the Democratic National Committee, expects the party’s national chairman to announce next week when states can make their official pitch to go first in 2028. However, Brennan says while Iowans are typically rule followers, he and others in the party are prepared to “go rogue” and ignore party dictates.
Some Democrats have said the Caucuses divert the party’s attention from local candidates and Iowa races. Hart says making Iowa a competitive, two-party state again is her primary goal.
Hart will be hosting regional town hall events to discuss the survey and the survey questions are posted on the Iowa Democratic Party’s website. Iowans who’ve participated in the caucuses or plan to do so in the future have ’til November 15th to respond to the survey. Iowa Democratic Party leaders will discuss the results at a meeting in December.
