State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Move New York’s Presidential Primary
By: Joseph T. Burns
In anticipation of lawmakers returning to Albany for the 2026 legislative session, State Sen. James Skoufis and Assemblyman Landon Dais have introduced a bill to move New York State’s 2028 presidential primary to the first Tuesday in March. This would, the lawmakers argue, set New York’s primary with “Super Tuesday” and give New Yorkers a greater say in determining each party’s presidential nominee.
New York has historically held its presidential primary later in the presidential election cycle. In 2024, the New York presidential primary occurred on April 2. Four years earlier, New York’s presidential primary was scheduled to occur on April 28, 2020. It was, however, postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary was eventually run on June 23, 2020, the same day New York held its primary election for all other offices.
The bill establishing the date for the presidential primary as well as ballot access rules and delegate allocation process for each party has traditionally been taken up by the state legislature in the year prior to the presidential election. Historically, those proposals have included two sets of presidential primary rules, one of which is used by the Democratic Party and one of which is used by the Republican Party.
The 2026 New York State legislative session will begin on January 7, 2026, and this legislation could be considered at that time. We will continue to monitor this proposal and provide updates when appropriate.
