Timeline of the 2028 United States presidential election

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Timeline of the 2028 United States presidential election

←  2024 November 7, 2028 2032 →

This is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the 2028 United States presidential election, which will be held on November 7, 2028. ^[1] In addition to the dates mandated by the relevant federal laws, such as those in the U.S. Constitution and the Electoral Count Act, several milestones have consistently been observed since the adoption of the conclusions of the 1971 McGovern–Fraser Commission.

2024

• November 6: Donald Trump is declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election by a consensus of major news outlets projecting the results, defeating incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris. ^[2]
• November 8: Scott Brennan, the only Iowan on the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee at the time, which determines the order of states in the presidential nominating process, says he still plans to fight for the return of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses spot back to Iowa for 2028. ^[3]
• December 10: Democratic National Committee chair candidate James Skoufis calls on the Democratic National Committee to maintain its current presidential nominating calendar that puts South Carolina first in the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Skoufis writes in a memo, "South Carolina has been placed at the forefront of the presidential nominating process. I believe they deserve a genuine opportunity for a competitive primary. The contest between Dean Phillips and Joe Biden was not a serious primary. So let’s have one.” ^[4]
• December 22: New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley states his intention to try to work to return the first-in-the-nation Democratic Party presidential primary status back to New Hampshire in the 2028 presidential nominating calendar. In an interview with WMUR-TV, Buckley states, "We believe we have a very strong case to make. It's two years away. We think it's important that people [don't] think someone put a thumb on it, and we are awarded our position because we earned it." ^[5]

2025

• January 6: The electoral votes from the 2024 presidential election are formally counted before a joint session of Congress; as president of the Senate, Kamala Harris formally announces the electoral result, becoming the first incumbent vice president since Al Gore in 2001 to certify the results of a presidential election in which they were the losing candidate. ^[6]
• January 20: Donald Trump and JD Vance are inaugurated as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States.
• February 1: Ken Martin is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee by party voting members at the DNC's Winter Meeting. ^[7]
• February 22: Vice President Vance wins the 2025 CPAC presidential straw poll with 61%, with Steve Bannon in second at 12%. ^[8]
• March 19: The New York Times reports that Trump and the Republican Party had threatened, signed executive actions, and ordered investigations into their political opponents, critics, and organizations aligned with the Democratic Party and progressive politics in an attempt to hobble Democrats' ability to compete in future elections. ^[9]
• March 30: NBC reports that Donald Trump would not rule out seeking a third term as president, with Trump saying he "was not joking" about a third term, and telling NBC "there are methods" for doing so, including running for vice president with JD Vance running for president and, upon winning, passing the role to Trump. ^[10]
• April 24: The Trump Organization begins selling hats and T-shirts with "Trump 2028" written on them, provoking questions about whether or not Trump would attempt to run for a third term. ^[11]
• May 4: Trump said in his interview on NBC News that he will only serve two terms as president and will not run again after winning twice, mentions both Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his potential successors. ^{[12] [13]}
• June 5: Iowa's only seat on the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which determines the order of states in the presidential nominating process, is removed, and New Hampshire was awarded a second seat on the committee. ^[14]
• June 14: Minnesota Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman was assassinated in a shooting at her home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, United States. Hortman, the leader of the state House Democratic caucus, was killed alongside her husband, Mark.

• August 7: Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in an NewsNation interview that the Rules and Bylaws Committee will discuss the 2028 primary calendar in a Minneapolis meeting later in the month. ^[15]

2026

• November 3: The 2026 United States midterm elections will be held.

2027

According to The Washington Post , presidential candidates tend to declare their candidacies about a year and a half before Election Day, with the median date in mid-March 2027. However, some candidates declare their candidacies much earlier, such as Donald Trump 721 days before Election Day, Andrew Yang 997 days before, and John Delaney 1,194 days before. ^[16]

2028

• Late September: Early voting will begin in some states.
• November 7: The 2028 United States presidential election will be held.
• December 18: Electors to the Electoral College will meet at their respective state capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December and formally cast their votes for President and Vice President. ^[17]

2029

• January 6: At around 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the United States Congress will meet in a joint session to tabulate the Electoral College votes; the President of the Senate will formally announce the electoral result. ^[18]
• January 20: At noon Eastern Standard Time, the president-elect and vice president-elect will be inaugurated.

See also

• Timeline of the Donald Trump presidencies

References

1. "Election Planning Calendar" (PDF). Essex-Virginia.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
2. Durkin Richer, Alanna; Long, Colleen; Miller, Zeke; Weissert, Will (December 2, 2024). "Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to". Associated Press. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
3. Rooker, Amanda (November 8, 2024). "Future of the Iowa caucuses: Republicans and Democrats look to 2028". KCCI . Retrieved June 5, 2025.
4. Manchester, Julia (December 10, 2024). "DNC chair candidate calls on committee to maintain nominating calendar". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
5. Sexton, Adam (December 22, 2024). "DNC chair race spotlights next fight for first-in-the-nation primary". WMUR-TV. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
6. Mascaro, Lisa; Jalonick, Mary Clare; Amiri, Farnoush; Brown, Matt (January 6, 2025). "Congress certifies Trump's 2024 win, without the Jan. 6 mob violence of four years ago". The Associated Press .
7. Vakil, Caroline (February 1, 2025). "Ken Martin elected next DNC chair". The Hill. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
8. Manchester, Julia. "Vance is overwhelming favorite to be Trump's successor in CPAC straw poll". The Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
9. Vogel, Kenneth P.; Goldmacher, Shane (March 19, 2025). "With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 20, 2025.
10. Welker, Kristen; Lebowitz, Megan (March 30, 2025). "Trump won't rule out seeking a third term in the White House, tells NBC News 'there are methods' for doing so". NBC News . Archived from the original on March 30, 2025.
11. Mangan, Dan (April 24, 2025). "Trump Organization sells 'Trump 2028' hat and shirt, fueling questions about third term bid". CNBC . Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
12. Egwuonwu, Nnamdi (May 4, 2025). "'I'll be an eight-year president': Trump weighs in on third-term speculation". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
13. "Trump elevates Marco Rubio and JD Vance as potential successors in 2028". Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
14. Iowa's News Now Staff (June 5, 2025). "Iowa loses influential DNC seat, raising concerns over presidential primary influence". KGAN . Retrieved June 5, 2025.
15. Fortinsky, Sarah (August 7, 2025). "DNC chair says Democrats will start process of setting 2028 primary calendar this month". The Hill. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
16. Perry, Kati (February 17, 2024). "When do presidential candidates announce? Trump's 2024 bid comes early". Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
17. "§7. Meeting and vote of electors". United States Code, 2011 Edition. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
18. "§15. Counting electoral votes in Congress". US Code. Retrieved December 11, 2024.