Primaries, caucuses, debates… Key dates of the race to the White House 2024

They are undoubtedly one of the most anticipated elections of 2024: the sixtieth presidential election of the United States, which will take place on November 5. The current president, Democrat Joe Biden, and his predecessor, Republican Donald Trump, are running for re-election and are favorites in the polls, but first they must gain the internal trust of their political houses.

In order to be eligible for the Presidency of the United States, they will first have to win delegates in the primaries of their respective parties. These delegates represent the voters of a given state and designate the presidential candidate at the national convention.

Iowa Republicans will open the election cycle on January 15 with their caucus or neighborhood caucuses followed by those in New Hampshire on January 23. The primary marathon enters a new phase on March 5, the day of 'Super Tuesday'. If nothing changes, this key date will occur one day after the trial for federal election interference against Donald Trump begins. The primaries will continue until June 4, before the country decides on November 5.

Here are the key dates of the US electoral marathon in 2024:

• Caucuses Iowa Republican

January 15: Iowa Republicans kick off primary season with their caucusprivate meetings organized by the party, not the State, in which participants are divided into groups according to the candidate they support.

Iowa Democrats, for their part, will vote by mail, ending a 50-year tradition in which Iowa was the first presidential seat. The decision was promoted by President Joe Biden, who stated that the caucus They were unfair to workers who were not available to vote in person.

• Primaries in New Hampshire

January 23: New Hampshire holds its first primaries, an election organized by the state and local communities in which participants secretly vote for their preferred Republican or Democratic candidate.

New Hampshire decided to ignore requests from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to change the order of states holding primaries. Democrats in that state wanted to maintain their tradition of going first, leading Joe Biden's campaign team to announce in October that his name would not appear on the state's ballot in favor of South Carolina.

January 10: The 'CNN' network held a Republican debate in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. The qualified candidates were former President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, all of them with at least a 10 % of the votes. Donald Trump, who has already avoided the four debates, did not participate, preferring to attend a municipal meeting organized by 'Fox News' television at the same time.

January 18: 'ABC News' and 'WMUR-TV' hold a Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire. Candidates who place among the top three in the competitions will be invited to participate. caucus of Iowa or reach the 10% threshold in the polls.

January 21st: CNN will hold a Republican debate at New England College in New Hampshire.

• Campaign expense declaration

January 31: It is the deadline to submit campaign expense statements to the Federal Electoral Commission. These statements must include the amount of money raised and spent by each candidate.

• First Democratic primaries

February 3rd: South Carolina votes in the Democratic primary. President Joe Biden had requested that the first primaries be held in this state, which has a significant African-American population and is more favorable to the Democratic president, to benefit from his support since the beginning of the electoral cycle. The Republican primary in South Carolina takes place on February 24.

February 6th: Democratic electors in the state of Nevada are called to elect their delegates.

February 27: Michigan moves up its presidential primary to Feb. 27, in accordance with new Democratic National Committee rules. Republicans, who have different rules, hold caucuses four days later, on March 2, to appoint their delegates.

March 5th: Known as 'Super Tuesday', it is the most important day of the primaries, since one third of the total delegates are awarded on it alone. The two parties hold primaries in more than fifteen states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia.

On the same day, Utah Democrats and Alaska Republicans vote in their respective primaries. Utah Republicans will celebrate caucus.

On Super Tuesday, a poor performance can drown a candidate's hopes by preventing him from raising money, attracting media attention or maintaining momentum. This year, the expectation will also have an added bonus, as it occurs one day after the start of the federal electoral interference trial against Donald Tump, although the timing it could change.

• Last primaries of the year

March 12: Democrats vote abroad, as do those in Georgia, Washington and Mississippi. Hawaii Republicans celebrate caucus.

March, 19: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio vote in turn to appoint their Republican and Democratic delegates.

June 4: The final primaries are held in the District of Columbia, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. States that have not yet set the date of their primaries or caucus They must do so before this date.

• National conventions

From July 15 to 18: Republicans nominate their presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

From August 19 to 22: Democrats move to Chicago, in the state of Illinois, to designate their presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention.

In each party, the rule is simple: to be nominated, a candidate must obtain the support of more than half of the delegates and superdelegates. The result is usually known in advance, since it is known which candidate each delegate supports.

These two conventions also make it possible to designate the vice presidential candidate, prepare an electoral program and launch the fall campaign.

16 of September: The first presidential debate between the Republican and Democratic candidates is held at Texas State University in San Marcos.

September 25th: The only debate between the vice presidential candidates is held at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

October 1st: The second presidential debate is held at Virginia State University in Petersburg.

October 9: The third and final presidential debate is held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

• Presidential elections in the United States

November 5th: Americans are called to vote for the electors who will choose the president and vice president. The result of the elections may take several days to be known, especially if the count is close and depending on the time it takes to receive and count the votes by mail.

• Confirmation of results and investiture

January 6, 2025: Congress meets to certify the results of the presidential elections. This procedure, normally a formality, will take
place this year under great tension, following the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

January 20, 2025: Inauguration of the president and vice president of the United States. In this ceremony, the president is officially sworn in and takes office.

*Adapted from its original in French