Calendar
Campaigning for President often begins a year or more before the New Hampshire primary, almost two years before the presidential election.
For 2012, both the Republicans and the Democrats moved their Florida primary to January 31, which was an earlier date than past election cycles. In response, other states also changed their primary election dates for 2012, in order to claim a greater influence, creating a cascade of changes in other states. This follows what happened in 2008 when Nevada moved its caucuses to January, causing other states to also move its primaries to earlier dates.
The election dates for 2012, up to and including Super Tuesday are as follows:
- January 3: Iowa caucus (both parties)
- January 10: New Hampshire primary (both parties)
- January 21: Nevada Democratic caucuses and South Carolina Republican primary
- January 28: South Carolina Democratic primary
- January 31: Florida (both parties)
- February 4: Nevada Republican caucuses
- February 4–11: Maine Republican caucuses
- February 7: Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri Republican primaries
- February 28: Arizona and Michigan Republican primaries
- March 3: Washington Republican caucuses
- March 6: Super Tuesday: Primaries/caucuses for both parties in several states
Read more about this topic: United States Presidential Primaries
Famous quotes containing the word calendar:
“To divide one’s life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry on its dull wall-existence by the arbitrary timetables we have drawn up in consultation with those permanent commuters, Earth and Sun. But we, unlike trees, need grow no annual rings.”
—Clifton Fadiman (b. 1904)