Michigan Democrats face Feb. 1 deadline to move up state’s 2024 presidential primary

The party must file an extension if they can’t meet the Feb. 1 deadline.

Sign telling voters where to vote at polling booth in Rochester Hills, Mich.

A sign directs voters where to go for their polling place at Rochester High School on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, in Rochester Hills, Mich.

Michigan Democrats face a looming deadline to ensure the party’s next presidential primary is among the first held in the nation.

A Democratic National Committee panel recently agreed to move Michigan’s 2024 primary to the end of February.

That would make it one of a handful of U.S. states at the start of the next presidential primary season, which Michigan Democrats argue gives the state a much greater say in who becomes the eventual nominee.

The state Legislature has to approve the move and national Democrats say Michigan must make the change by Feb. 1 of this year.

But Democrats need some Michigan Republican legislators to agree in order to meet that deadline since the change would also push the state’s GOP primary to an earlier date – risking a backlash from their national party.

Michigan Democrats could also request an extension of the deadline, something several other states in similar circumstances have already done.

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Author

  • Quinn Klinefelter
    Quinn Klinefelter is a Senior News Editor at 101.9 WDET. In 1996, he was literally on top of the news when he interviewed then-Senator Bob Dole about his presidential campaign and stepped on his feet.