Members of the Democratic National Committee voted to approve new fines and penalties for state parties that violate its 2028 presidential nominating calendar.
The rules come as Iowa Democrats have contemplated going rogue if their Iowa Caucuses aren’t placed near the top of the calendar.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is working to reset the order in which states hold caucuses and primary elections for president ahead of a wide-open 2028 contest.
And although it is still weighing which states will make up the coveted early voting window, some states, including Iowa, have said they would consider defying that decision if it’s unfavorable to their states.
To try to head off any such challenges, the committee worked to enact stiffer penalties that would dissuade states from going out of order.
“Democrats must retake the White House in 2028,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement. “Today, the Rules and Bylaws Committee took important steps to bring us closer to that reality by creating a clear and orderly process to deliver the strongest possible nominee.”
Under the rules the committee approved, the DNC would not seat any of a rogue state’s delegates to the national convention and impose a $270,000 fine.
It would also block candidates campaigning in unauthorized states from appearing in DNC-approved debates and prevent them from earning delegates from any early state, not just the one in which they campaigned.
The committee members discussed at length whether to include an “escape hatch” that would let them scale back the penalties for some candidates or states if it became necessary. They said they didn’t want to tie their own hands if unusual situations arise.
“I think if 2024 taught us anything, it’s definitely that we don’t know (what will happen),” said committee co-chair James Roosevelt, Jr.
But the members ultimately decided they wanted to convey their intent to stick to the rules they’ve set out at the beginning.
Martin said that if the committee leaves “even an inch of an opening, people are going to game the system.”
He said that in order to build back trust with Democrats, the party needs to ensure that it’s not giving the impression of picking favorites and tipping the scales in favor of a particular candidate or state.
“The best way to do that is to be not only transparent but completely clear what the rules of the road are, what the consequence will be and to leave no ambiguity,” he said.
States have historically defied the DNC’s wishes and received little lasting punishment.
In 2024, New Hampshire held a rogue first-in-the-nation primary despite efforts by the DNC to move the state farther back in the line. It created a major headache for the party and then-candidate Joe Biden, and after some back-and-forth maneuvering, the DNC ultimately seated the state’s delegates at the convention.
That’s irked some Iowa Democrats who chose instead to play by the rules in 2024, despite being stripped of their traditional first-in-the-nation caucuses.
This year, Iowa Democrats have said they intend to “work in good faith” with the national party on its 2028 calendar, but they haven’t ruled out holding a rogue first-in-the-nation caucus.
Iowa Democrat Scott Brennan, who has been deeply involved in Iowa’s efforts to gain a foothold on the calendar, said after the meeting that the state party is focused on winning competitive races up and down the ticket in the 2026 general election.
“At this point, Democrats in Iowa are laser focused on an election that’s happening in November,” he told the Des Moines Register. “And when we elect a governor and a senator and three members of Congress and a whole lot folks in the Iowa House and Senate, then we’ll turn our attention to whatever the DNC decides.”
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand said on a June 5 episode of Iowa Press that if he’s elected governor, he would push for Iowa to be first no matter what the national party says, “because it’s in our law, and I care more about the law than I do about some private club.”
Others have been more forceful in their efforts to reclaim an early spot.
House Minority Leader and state Rep. Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, has said Iowa should go first no matter what, and he emphasized the point in a fundraising text sent Thursday, June 25.
“In 2024, Iowa lost its place as first in the nation to host the Democratic Presidential Caucuses and Primaries,” the text said. “Now, the DNC is already taking steps to change the calendar and select a new state to host the first presidential caucus—and Iowa has an opportunity to reclaim its place, whether DC Democrats want us to or not.”
Members of the Rules and Bylaws Committee have said the final calendar should include a grouping of states that, when taken together, represent the wider electorate. They plan to choose one state from each of four geographic regions with a potential fifth “wildcard” state.
The applicants are:
Committee members say they hope to set the calendar order by August, so they can vote on the slate at the next Democratic National Committee meeting.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dems OK penalties for defying 2028 calendar as Iowa ponders rebellion
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
