Consolidated May presidential primary bill advances out of committee in Idaho Senate

Late last week the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee held a committee hearing on S 1398, a second bill introduced in the upper chamber to restore the presidential primary in the Gem state and consolidate that preference vote with the primaries for other offices in the state. Additionally, the legislation would schedule the election for the Monday after the first Tuesday in May, marginally earlier than the mid- to late May date on which the state primary has traditionally been conducted.

The intent is largely similar to that of a previous bill. However, as Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane noted in testimony to the committee on Friday, March 20, the reason for the second bill was largely technical, aligning all language across statutes with the earlier May date (something the previous version failed to fully account for). While McGrane again did not support this legislation, the secretary of state does support the reestablishment of the presidential primary in some form. 

There is a competing bill that has been passed by the state House. Only, that bill would reinstitute a separate presidential primary and schedule that election for Super Tuesday. That scheduling dispute (and the costs associated with each of the active versions) is the same impasse that derailed efforts to bring the presidential primary back for the 2024 cycle (after it was mistakenly cancelled). 

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Noteworthy: There was no opposition testimony to the consolidated primary concept. Representatives from the League of Women Voters in Idaho voiced support and members of the panel who responded to testimony were all generally behind the idea. The subsequent voice vote to move the measure on to the full Senate with a "Do Pass" recommendation passed with no apparent dissenting votes. 

S 1398 now moves on to the full Senate for consideration.

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See also:

2/19/26: Idaho legislators again try to resurrect presidential primary in the Gem state

3/4/26: "Idaho Legislature might bring back presidential primary, after caucus had ‘dismal’ turnout"

3/10/26: Super Tuesday primary bill passes Idaho House

3/19/26: Second May presidential primary bill introduced in Idaho Senate

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This action has been added to the annotated 2028 presidential primary calendar over at our sister site, FHQ Plus.

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

Second May presidential primary bill introduced in Idaho Senate

Earlier this week, the Idaho Senate State Affairs Committee brought forth a subsequent bill to reestablish the presidential preference vote in the Gem state and consolidate the election with those primaries for state and local office in May. 

The intent of S 1398 is much the same as the previous bill introduced by the committee. It would restore the presidential primary, hold it concurrent with the other primaries and marginally shift up the date of the consolidated election. Instead of falling on the third Tuesday in May, as has been the tradition in Idaho, the election would fall on the Tuesday after the first Monday in May. The resulting primary would end up one or two weeks earlier than has been the custom in Idaho, depending on the year.

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Noteworthy: Although the two state Senate bills would have virtually the same impact in the area of the presidential primary, the newly introduced legislation is a more encompassing elections bill. And since S 1398 is on the Senate State Affairs Committee agenda already, it is likely that it has supplanted S 1366 as the main vehicle for the presidential primary reestablishment in the upper chamber. 

Both Senate bills differ from the House-passed version. 

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See also:

2/19/26: Idaho legislators again try to resurrect presidential primary in the Gem state

3/4/26: "Idaho Legislature might bring back presidential primary, after caucus had ‘dismal’ turnout"

3/10/26: Super Tuesday primary bill passes Idaho House

3/25/26: Consolidated May presidential primary bill advances out of committee in Idaho Senate

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This action has been added to the annotated 2028 presidential primary calendar over at our sister site, FHQ Plus.

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

Super Tuesday primary bill passes Idaho House

Sans debate and discussion and with merely a brief introduction by the bill's sponsor, HB 638 passed the Idaho House by a vote of 45-23 on Monday, March 9. While the legislation split the majority Republican caucus in the lower chamber, a clear majority of them supported the move to reinstate a separate presidential primary and schedule the election for the first Tuesday in March. Seven of the nine House Democrats were behind the measure with just one dissenting vote and one absence. 

The bill would return the presidential nomination process in the Gem state to the way things were for 2020 before the presidential primary was repealed in 2023.

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Noteworthy: The seeming ease with which this legislation glided through the House should not be misread. The rubber likely hits the road at this juncture because there is competing legislation in the state Senate that would not only bring back the presidential primary but consolidate it with the primaries for other offices across the state in early May. 

Now there are two issues that separate these bills:

1. Timing of the primary -- March or May.
2. Price tag -- $2.5m for a separate presidential primary in March or rolling the presidential preference vote into the May primary at no additional cost.

These are not uncommon themes when it comes to introducing or reintroducing a presidential primary into the elections landscape in a given state. And this will all be a topic of discussion as things shift to the state Senate now. But it was in 2023 also when an oversight cost the state its presidential primary. 

And most in Idaho seem to support the shift back to the primary. 

While he remained neutral on the House bill (separate March primary), Secretary of State Phil McGrane reiterated in the House State Affairs Committee hearing late last week his support for a primary over caucuses, echoing the support for such a transition that he had voiced in response to the filing of the Senate bill (consolidated May primary).

Additionally, the state Republican Party is also in favor a change back to the presidential primary. However, the party is not undecided as to when the election should scheduled. In a resolution adopted during the state party's summer meeting, the party sided with the earlier, March option. 

Still, the price tag on that March primary (the House version) is going to potentially cause some problems. However, part of the pinch there is supposed to be offset by the $50k filing fee for the separate presidential primary that is layered into the House measure. 

Regardless, both bills now sit before the Senate State Affairs Committee (or will when the House-passed bill is transmitted to the upper chamber). 

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See also:

2/19/26: Idaho legislators again try to resurrect presidential primary in the Gem state

3/4/26: "Idaho Legislature might bring back presidential primary, after caucus had ‘dismal’ turnout"

3/19/26: Second May presidential primary bill introduced in Idaho Senate

3/25/26: Consolidated May presidential primary bill advances out of committee in Idaho Senate

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This action has been added to the annotated 2028 presidential primary calendar over at our sister site, FHQ Plus.

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The 2028 Annotated Presidential Primary Calendar

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

Missouri House Elections Committee reports amended Super Tuesday primary bill "do pass"

The story of the 2026 legislative session in Jefferson City thus far has been one of obstacles to legislation intended to restore the Show-Me state's presidential primary. Two broad elections bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, saw provisions to reestablish the presidential primary and schedule the election for Super Tuesday removed at the committee stage. Another measure calling for a slightly later March presidential primary sits idle in the upper chamber. 

But the remaining two presidential primary bills in the House -- HB 2387 and HB 2480 -- have been merged in executive session of the House Elections Committee and reported out with a "do pass" recommendation. Additionally, during that March 3 hearing, the committee adopted an amended version of the legislation, dropping sections in the introduced bill pertaining to no-excuse absentee voting in the primary and adding language binding national convention delegates based on the results of the primary. 

The latter change was spurred by feedback the bill's sponsor on the committee got during a February 3 hearing for the bill. It was in that early February hearing where some familiar themes were once again raised by opponents of the primary. In fact, much of the opposition echoed comments from an earlier hearing for the omnibus House elections bill that ended with the presidential primary section being stripped from the legislation.

HB 2387/2480 passed the House Elections Committee as amended by a 10-2 vote in favor.

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Noteworthy: While the adopted committee substitute for HB 2387/2480 addressed the binding concerns of some opponents, it did not also include one of their other sticking points that has emerged not only in 2026 but in past sessions in Missouri: closing the open primary system to registered members of a party. But the bill that now moves on to the House Rules Committee for consideration does include language allocating national convention delegates on a proportional basis and binding those delegates based on the primary results for through the first ballot vote at the national convention. 

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See also: 

12/10/25: Missouri Senate bills prefiled to reinstate presidential primary

12/18/25: Missouri House again tees up host of bills to resurrect the defunct Show-Me state presidential primary

1/28/26: "House committee kills plan to reinstate Missouri presidential primary"

2/3/26: Another one bites the dust: Missouri Senate bill stripped of provision to reestablish a presidential primary

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The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

"Idaho Legislature might bring back presidential primary, after caucus had ‘dismal’ turnout"

The Idaho Capital Sun's Kyle Pfannenstiel has the latest on another bill in Boise to reinstate the presidential primary in the Gem state:

"Ahead of the 2028 presidential election, the Idaho Legislature is considering at least two competing bills to bring back the presidential primary election.

"One bill headed to the House floor, House Bill 638, would have the state hold the presidential primary election in March — separately from the state’s May primary elections for state legislative seats.

"The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Harris, R-Lewiston, would also require presidential candidates to pay a $50,000 fee to have their name on Idaho’s ballots. The fees are meant to help offset the state’s estimated $2.5 million cost to run the next presidential primary.

"A separate bill, introduced in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Wednesday, would hold Idaho’s presidential primary election in May in tandem with the state’s other primary elections. Bill sponsor Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, said the caucus 'estranges a lot of voters from the process.'”

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Noteworthy: FHQ has discussed the House bill introduced last month. The lower chamber's version envisions a separate Super Tuesday presidential primary in Idaho. The Senate's newly introduced version -- S 1366 -- would follow the lead of both bills the Senate State Affairs Committee brought forth during the 2024 legislative session. As then, Sen. Guthrie's measure on behalf of the committee would bring the state-run presidential primary back, but would consolidate the presidential preference vote with the primaries for other offices.  

Only, this new legislation splits the difference with those two 2024 bills on the timing of the consolidated election. Whereas one of the competing 2024 bills sought to consolidate the presidential primary with the Idaho primary traditionally scheduled on the third Tuesday in May, the other proposed moving the concurrent primaries together up to the third Tuesday in April. [Neither advanced in 2024.]

The 2026 compromise? 

Again, split the difference. The Senate State Affairs Committee bill this session would bring the presidential primary back but shift the consolidated primary up a couple(-ish) of weeks to the Tuesday after the first Monday in May. 

Yes, that is marginally earlier, but no, it is unlikely to be much closer to the area of the calendar when presidential nominations are typically decided in recent years. As a result, the question before the Idaho legislature in 2026 is over the money it will take to fund a new and separate presidential primary or to save that money by reinstating the presidential preference vote on the later May primary ballot. 

...or legislators could punt on the matter once again and leave things as they are. 

For what it is worth Pfannenstiel notes that Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane supports the primary (over caucuses). As he said:

"I’ve heard it resoundingly in my role that Idahoans want to be able to vote. Anything that the Legislature can do to restore the presidential primary to make that happen, I’m in support of."

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See also:

2/19/26: Idaho legislators again try to resurrect presidential primary in the Gem state

3/10/26: Super Tuesday primary bill passes Idaho House

3/19/26: Second May presidential primary bill introduced in Idaho Senate

3/25/26: Consolidated May presidential primary bill advances out of committee in Idaho Senate

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This legislation will be added to the annotated 2028 presidential primary calendar over at our sister site, FHQ Plus.

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

The Annotated 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Tracking the evolution of the timeline of delegate selection events that will determine the next presidential nominees

Nevada Democrats respond to questions raised at January DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting

In a letter dated March 2, 2026, the Nevada Democratic Party has responded to questions posed by DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee members at the panel's January 31 meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Questions there ranged from those specific to the bid of Democrats in the Silver state for an early calendar spot in 2028 and broader questions the committee had for all early state applicants. 

The letter:

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Noteworthy: Look, Nevada Democrats have a strong case for an early slot on the 2028 Democratic presidential primary calendar, if not the first spot (for which the state party is aiming). 

The primary is already early. [The inclusion of Nevada's primary could be a part of a path of least resistance for the DNC.]

The electorate is diverse on a number of fronts that could be perceived as helpful to the national party's general election efforts.

What potentially hurts Nevada Democrats' cause -- more so vying for the first-in-the-nation honor rather than merely being included in the early window -- are factors that are outside of the state party's control. 

Fair or not, Nevada cannot change the fact that it is in the Pacific time zone. Democrats there can lean into that as the party has in the letter above, making the case that being west coast-adjacent is another diversity box that Nevada's primary checks. 

And while changes could be made to election administration to help expedite vote counting in particular, with a Republican in the governor's mansion in Carson City, such changes are less likely than if a Democrat held that office. Still, in the face of arguments that have already been raised in RBC meetings about the calendar that Nevada may struggle to count primary votes in a timely manner, the state party has responded thusly...

With universal vote by mail, seven days of in-person early voting, county-wide Election Day vote centers, automatic voter registration, same-day registration, and a ballot cure process, Nevada has some of the most progressive voter access laws in the country. As Nevada’s voting preferences have shifted from in-person early voting to voting by mail, changes have been adopted to expedite the tabulation and reporting of votes at the county level. County election offices are now able to begin counting mail and dropbox ballots beginning 15 days prior to election day. Upon the close of polls on Election Day, counties will report all mail, dropbox, and in-person early vote totals received prior to Election Day, followed by Election Day in-person totals, and any mail or dropbox ballots received on Election Day. Given the smaller voter universe relative to the general election and the limited scope of the presidential primary ballot, this process will be expeditious.

Left unanswered is whether and how these new measures have been stress tested. FHQ is not suggesting that they have not, but they certainly have not been tested under the intense spotlight of a presidential nomination race, especially if Nevada ended up with the first sanctioned primary on the Democratic side. That will not change between now and 2028, but Nevada Democrats can come armed with data from the midterm primaries in June and perhaps the general election in November if the Rules and Bylaws Committee has yet to finalize the party's early calendar lineup by that point in time. That may additionally aid in allaying any lingering fears members of the panel may have.

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Related at FHQ Plus (subscription)...

Some additional thoughts on the Democrats' recent 2028 primary calendar meeting 

Learning, incentives, appearance versus reality and the limits of the national parties in calendar crafting