Timeline of the 2028 United States presidential election

This is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the 2028 United States presidential election which will be held on November 7, 2028.^[1] In addition to the dates mandated by the relevant federal laws, such as those in the U.S. Constitution and the Electoral Count Act, several milestones have consistently been observed since the adoption of the conclusions of the 1971 McGovern–Fraser Commission.

2024

November 6: Donald Trump is declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election by a consensus of major news outlets projecting the results, defeating incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris.^[2]
December 10: Democratic National Committee chair candidate James Skoufis calls on the Democratic National Committee to maintain its current presidential nominating calendar that puts South Carolina first in the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries. Skoufis writes in a memo, "South Carolina has been placed at the forefront of the presidential nominating process. I believe they deserve a genuine opportunity for a competitive primary. The contest between Dean Phillips and Joe Biden was not a serious primary. So let’s have one.”^[3]
December 22: New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley states his intention to try to work to return the first-in-the-nation Democratic Party presidential primary status back to New Hampshire in the 2028 presidential nominating calendar. In an interview with WMUR-TV, Buckley states, "We believe we have a very strong case to make. It's two years away. We think it's important that people [don't] think someone put a thumb on it, and we are awarded our position because we earned it."^[4]

2025

January 6: The electoral votes from the 2024 presidential election are formally counted before a joint session of Congress; as president of the Senate, Kamala Harris formally announces the electoral result, becoming the first incumbent vice president since Al Gore in 2001 to certify the results of a presidential election in which they were the losing candidate.^[5]
January 20: Donald Trump and JD Vance are inaugurated as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States.
February 1: Ken Martin is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee by party voting members at the DNC's Winter Meeting.^[6]
February 22: Vice President Vance wins the 2025 CPAC presidential straw poll with 61%, with Steve Bannon in second at 12%.^[7]
March 19: The New York Times reports that Trump and the Republican Party had threatened, signed executive actions, and ordered investigations into their political opponents, critics, and organizations aligned with the Democratic Party and progressive politics in an attempt to hobble Democrats' ability to compete in future elections.^[8]

2026

November 3: The 2026 United States midterm elections will be held.

2027

According to The Washington Post, presidential candidates tend to declare their candidacies about a year and a half before Election Day, with the median date in mid-March 2027. However, some candidates declare much earlier, such as Donald Trump 721 days before Election Day, Andrew Yang 997 days before, and John Delaney 1,194 days before,^[9] while some candidates declare at the very end, such as Kamala Harris 107 days before Election Day, following Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race.

2028

Late September: Early voting will begin in some states.
November 7: The 2028 United States presidential election will be held.
December 18: Electors to the Electoral College will meet at their respective state capitals on the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December and formally cast their votes for President and Vice President.^[10]

2029

January 6: At 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the United States Congress will meet in a joint session to tabulate the Electoral College votes; the President of the Senate formally announce the electoral result.^[11]
January 20: At noon Eastern Standard Time, the president-elect and vice president-elect will be inaugurated.

References

^ "Election Planning Calendar" (PDF). Essex-Virginia.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
^ Durkin Richer, Alanna; Long, Colleen; Miller, Zeke; Weissert, Will (December 2, 2024). "Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to". Associated Press. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
^ Manchester, Julia (December 10, 2024). "DNC chair candidate calls on committee to maintain nominating calendar". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
^ Sexton, Adam (December 22, 2024). "DNC chair race spotlights next fight for first-in-the-nation primary". WMUR-TV. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
^ Mascaro, Lisa; Jalonick, Mary Clare; Amiri, Farnoush; Brown, Matt (January 6, 2025). "Congress certifies Trump's 2024 win, without the Jan. 6 mob violence of four years ago". The Associated Press.
^ Vakil, Caroline (February 1, 2025). "Ken Martin elected next DNC chair". The Hill. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
^ Manchester, Julia. "Vance is overwhelming favorite to be Trump's successor in CPAC straw poll". The Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
^ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Goldmacher, Shane (March 19, 2025). "With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 20, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
^ Perry, Kati (February 17, 2024). "When do presidential candidates announce? Trump's 2024 bid comes early". Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
^ "§7. Meeting and vote of electors". United States Code, 2011 Edition. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
^ "§15. Counting electoral votes in Congress". US Code. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

This American elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[va-1] "Election Planning Calendar" (PDF). Essex-Virginia.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

[:0-2] Durkin Richer, Alanna; Long, Colleen; Miller, Zeke; Weissert, Will (December 2, 2024). "Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to". Associated Press. Retrieved December 2, 2024.

[3] Manchester, Julia (December 10, 2024). "DNC chair candidate calls on committee to maintain nominating calendar". The Hill. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

[4] Sexton, Adam (December 22, 2024). "DNC chair race spotlights next fight for first-in-the-nation primary". WMUR-TV. Retrieved December 23, 2024.

[5] Mascaro, Lisa; Jalonick, Mary Clare; Amiri, Farnoush; Brown, Matt (January 6, 2025). "Congress certifies Trump's 2024 win, without the Jan. 6 mob violence of four years ago". The Associated Press.

[6] Vakil, Caroline (February 1, 2025). "Ken Martin elected next DNC chair". The Hill. Retrieved February 1, 2025.

[7] Manchester, Julia. "Vance is overwhelming favorite to be Trump's successor in CPAC straw poll". The Hill. Retrieved February 22, 2025.

[8] Vogel, Kenneth P.; Goldmacher, Shane (March 19, 2025). "With Orders, Investigations and Innuendo, Trump and G.O.P. Aim to Cripple the Left". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 20, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[9] Perry, Kati (February 17, 2024). "When do presidential candidates announce? Trump's 2024 bid comes early". Washington Post. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

[10] "§7. Meeting and vote of electors". United States Code, 2011 Edition. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

[11] "§15. Counting electoral votes in Congress". US Code. Retrieved December 11, 2024.

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