Government : Iowa Democrats launch survey, discussion on future of presidential caucuses

By Robin Opsahl

The Iowa Democratic Party is asking voters what they want to see happen with the party’s presidential caucuses — and whether the caucuses should be held in defiance of national Democrats’ presidential nominating calendar.

Though the calendar is far from final, it currently seems unlikely that the Democratic National Committee will return Iowa to the first-in-the-nation position for the Democratic presidential nominating process in 2028. Iowa was booted from its longtime spot after the 2020 caucuses, when issues with reporting caucus results led to greater scrutiny of the caucuses, which some Democrats had long criticized as inaccessible.

In the 2024 election cycle, Iowa Democrats changed from in-person caucuses to a mail-in presidential preference contest. While the shift reflected some of the changes the DNC said it wanted to see from the Iowa nominating process, the 2024 cycle kicked off in South Carolina, followed by New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan.

Iowa has less input on bylaws committee 

Though the DNC has affirmed it will revisit the nominating calendar in 2028, Iowa’s role in deciding the new line-up has diminished. Iowa Democrat Scott Brennan lost his longtime seat on the DNC Rules and Bylaws committee, which oversees the calendar, in June, while New Hampshire has been awarded a second seat. In the 2024 nominating cycle, Iowa Democrats abided by the DNC’s calendar while New Hampshire held an unsanctioned presidential primary.

Whether Iowa Democrats change their caucus structure — or hold a contest outside of the DNC’s schedule — is up for discussion, IDP Chair Rita Hart said in a news conference Thursday.

The “Family Conversation Survey” opened for responses Aug. 21 and will be open through Nov. 15. Though the survey is open to all, the IDP is seeking responses from Iowans who participate or plan to participate in Iowa Democratic caucuses. Respondents are required to submit information including their name, zip code and contact information, and answer questions about how they hope the state party will proceed as a new calendar is formalized.

This includes soliciting feedback on whether Iowa Democrats should go “rogue” and hold the caucuses first in 2028, even if they are sanctioned by the DNC, as well as if the caucuses should return to in-person meetings despite the process making it difficult for people who work late hours, have children or face health care challenges to participate.

Hart said the survey will help the IDP get a better understanding of how Iowa Democrats want the state party to proceed, but said it will not result in a “definitive” answer on how Iowa will move forward with the 2028 caucuses.

“There are far too many moving pieces to say in August of 2025 what will be happening in January or February of 2028,” Hart said. “We will have a lot of choices and tradeoffs during this process, and this feedback that we will receive from the survey will help inform our next steps.”

Brennan advocates ‘full speed ahead’ on caucuses

Brennan, who also spoke at the news conference, said he had filled out the survey, responding to questions with the mindset of “full speed ahead, and damn the DNC.”

“The DNC does not control us, and we control our own destiny — whatever that looks like,” Brennan said.

Iowa state law requires political parties hold caucuses, and Iowa Democrats intend to continue holding caucuses in the future, Brennan said, regardless of national Democrats’ criticism of the contest style. However, he also emphasized that the 2024 process of mail-in presidential preference cards was a step toward “addressing issues that people had with caucuses previously.”

Next week, the DNC is scheduled to kick off its summer meeting in Minneapolis on Aug. 25, which includes Rules and Bylaws Committee meetings, where the nominating calendar could be discussed. Brennan said it is expected that DNC Chair Ken Martin will put forward how the national party plans to approach the nominating cycle and how states will apply for early positions.

Brennan said Iowans are “rules followers by nature,” and will follow the DNC guidance if it is a “open and fair process.” He said the process for setting the 2024 nominating calendar was not open and fair. Iowa Democrats complied with the DNC calendar in 2024 because it was a “different cycle” and there was a presumptive nominee — former President Joe Biden, who ultimately stepped out of the race with former Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic presidential nominee. But Iowa will not take the same approach to 2028, with an expected open primary field.

“It didn’t work for Iowa Democrats, and it did not work for national Democrats,” Hart said on the 2024 calendar. “… It was a big mistake in the Biden calendar to know that Iowa Republicans are going first here in this state, and that as Democrats, (we) sat and watched all this attention and the millions of dollars being spent in the state without that kind of those kinds of resources to to push back on the Republican agenda. And that did not help us here in Iowa, and it did not help us long-term … for the national Democratic cause, for the presidential cycle. That was just a big mistake.”

Hart also said a major factor in deciding Iowa’s role in the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating calendar will be decided by how Democratic candidates fare in the 2026 midterm elections.

“It’s critical that Iowa Democrats win in 2026,” Hart said. “If we do that, we will have a voice in the 2028 process.”