Most Iowa Democrats who responded to a state party survey want to be in the early voting window when it comes to presidential primaries, but they’re split over whether they should defy national Democrats to make it happen.
The Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee voted Saturday, Dec. 6, to release the results of a survey the party conducted to gather feedback about the future of its presidential nominating caucuses.
The results offer insight but no clear consensus for a party that is continuing to grapple with the fallout of major shifts in the national presidential nominating calendar.
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said she was a little surprised that Iowans weren’t more strident in their responses, but she said it reflects the “Iowa nice” nature of the state.
“People want us to be fair,” she told the Des Moines Register in an interview. “And they want us, if we can get along with the DNC in what they’re trying to accomplish and what’s good for Iowa, then by goodness, we definitely should do that. But if that starts to diverge, and if the DNC suddenly what they want done is not good for Iowa, then they want us to have a little spine and push back. And so that’s the bottom line.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart waves to the crowd during a Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz town hall at Roosevelt High School on Friday, March 14, 2025, in Des Moines.
Hart announced the online survey in August as a way to gauge the sentiments of rank-and-file party members. About 750 people completed the six-question survey.
It showed that 65% of respondents want Iowa to hold its presidential nominating contest ahead of Super Tuesday. That includes 45% who say they think Iowa should go first and 21% who say it should go any time in the early window.
Another 13% say Iowa should hold its caucuses on or after Super Tuesday, and 22% say they don’t care when the caucuses are held.
But when it comes to how aggressive Iowa should be in enforcing an early-window caucus date, respondents are mixed.
Just more than half — 51% — say Iowa “should work within the DNC process and accept the outcome, even if it means Iowa is not in the early window.”
The rest say Iowa should flout the Democratic National Committee in some capacity, with 34% saying Iowa should work within the DNC process “but ignore the outcome if Iowa’s plan is not accepted, like New Hampshire in 2024.” And 14% say Iowa “should give no consideration to the DNC process” at all.
In the report, Hart reiterated that the survey results are just one tool that will be used to help determine a path forward.
“As all of you know, there are far too many moving pieces to lock into a course of action today,” she said. “Instead, our goal is to get a better understanding of the values that Iowa Democrats want reflected in our 2028 process. This is also an opportunity for Iowa Democrats to better understand the trade-offs leaders will have to make in 2027.”
Iowa Democrats will participate in DNC waiver process for 2028
At its Dec. 6 meeting, the IDP’s State Central Committee also approved a set of recommended next steps, including directing the party to participate in the DNC’s waiver process.
The DNC stripped Iowa of its first-in-the-nation caucus spot and reordered the nominating calendar in 2022 following a disastrous 2020 presidential caucus year when the results were riddled with delays and errors.
Then-President Joe Biden recommended that South Carolina replace Iowa at the front of the line, with New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan to follow.
The DNC approved that change, but it is preparing to reconsider the order again ahead of the 2028 presidential election cycle.
The DNC’s influential Rules and Bylaws Committee has given state parties until Jan. 16, 2026, to submit a request to hold their primary or caucus ahead of Super Tuesday.
Residents file in to their precincts as neighbors gather to discuss important issues while declaring their Presidential preference in a public meeting during the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party Caucus at Precinct 1 and 2 in the gymnasium at Johnston Middle School, 6501 NW 62nd Ave, in Johnston on Monday, February 3, 2020 as the eyes of the nation are focused on the state of Iowa as the caucuses are held at 1,678 precincts in Iowa and 92 satellite locations around the world as our country moves towards the general election in November.
Those committee members have said they will prioritize states that can hold a “rigorous, efficient and fair” nominating contest that will ultimately help put a Democrat in the White House.
“Iowa Democrats clearly want Iowa to play an early role in the 2028 nominating calendar,” the report said. “… Our submission will emphasize the value of a party-run process and the importance of states like Iowa being in the early window in order to win sustainable majorities nationwide.”
The committee also is directing state party staff to “continue briefing our future elected leaders on the status of the calendar and the budget necessary for a successful party-run process.”
The party will also keep the survey open online to continue soliciting feedback.
Iowa Democrats discuss participation, access to presidential caucuses for 2028
Beyond the question of when Iowa Democrats should hold their caucuses, the survey also asked respondents about how the caucuses should function and what they should prioritize going forward.
In 2024, rather than holding their traditional in-person first-in-the-nation caucuses, Iowa Democrats held a fully absentee mail-in event with the results announced on Super Tuesday in March. Democrats met in-person only to conduct party business the same day Iowa Republicans held their caucuses.
Caucus Secretary Susan Wickham, left, Caucus Chair Kevin Marken, and Executive Director of Polk Co. Democrats Kira Barker review documents as Democrats brave sub-zero weather and gather in-person on Iowa Caucus night in Polk County on Monday, January 15, 2024 at the East High School library in Des Moines. The event has three priorities to cover: provide updates on the business of the Democratic party, precinct elections, and the discussion the party platform.
A plurality of respondents, 46%, said the main goal of the caucuses should be to focus on “maximizing participation measured by the total number of voters or caucusgoers.”
Another 29% said the party “should figure out accommodations for voters that cannot participate on caucus night and to alleviate overcrowding in urban precincts, but generally needs to maintain the historical ‘in-the-room’ caucus process.”
The survey also asked respondents about the resources needed to run the caucuses.
About 55% said the caucuses help build the party organization, while 45% said they divert attention away from winning elections.
“I think that the results tell us that people definitely want to maintain some kind of in-person aspect of our caucuses, but they also want it to be accessible to others,” Hart said. “And so that means it’s going to have to change a little bit, because it hasn’t been the kind of accessibility that people want.”
But she said Democrats will have to continue the conversation to figure out how to bridge those two priorities.
She said she doesn’t think it will happen by the January deadline the Rules and Bylaws Committee has set.
“This process is not going to be decided anytime soon,” she said.
Iowa Republicans expect to hold first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses in 2028
Although Iowa Democrats are working to chart a path forward for the 2028 presidential caucuses, the Republican Party of Iowa expects to once again hold its traditional first-in-the-nation caucuses.
State party Chair Jeff Kaufmann will again lead the committee tasked with recommending the dates and order of the Republican Party’s presidential primary, signaling the GOP’s continued confidence in Iowa’s place at the front of the line.
And potential contenders, such as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, have already trekked to the state.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Democrats release results of 2028 caucus survey
