Press Release: 3/2/2026
Nevada Responses to Questions Posed at January Rules and Bylaws Committee Meeting
To: DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee Members
From: Hilary Barrett, Nevada State Democratic Party Executive Director
Date: March 2, 2026
Re: Nevada Responses to Questions Posed at January Rules and Bylaws
Committee Meeting
The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee met on January 31, 2026,
to review state proposals to hold a pre-window presidential nominating contest. Twelve states,
including Nevada, were invited to make presentations to the committee later this year. We are
grateful to be invited to present Nevada’s proposal to remain in the early nominating window
and to make our case for the critical first contest.
Throughout the course of the January meeting, members of the committee had the opportunity
to pose both general and specific questions for the states to address in their future
presentations. Nevada Democrats welcome the opportunity to demonstrate that we are fully
prepared to hold the first presidential nominating contest of 2028 and to address these
questions below.
The states that make up the early window in Democrats’ presidential primary calendar play a
critical role in choosing a candidate who is fully prepared for the general election in 2028, and
the state with the loudest voice will be the one that votes first. Choosing Nevada to go first is a
strategic decision that will set our party up for success in future presidential contests. We remain
the only state that meets all of the early state criteria of rigorousness, fairness, and efficiency.
Q: How will a Nevada First Primary put our party in the strongest position to win
the General Election?
Nevada will contribute to Democrats’ general election success by testing presidential candidates
in ways that other states cannot. A candidate who can successfully craft a winning message
and strategy with the ethnically, economically, and geographically diverse voters of Nevada will
have the experience of appealing to, mobilizing and winning exactly the electorate that a
Democratic nominee for president will need to win the White House. It is the state where
candidates begin to prove they can go the distance.
When evaluating the calendar, it is important to reflect on why we lost the presidential election in
2024, how presidential election trends have changed and to use every opportunity to set us up
to win in 2028. Prioritizing Nevada is the path to nominating a candidate who can earn the
support of the necessary winning coalition.2024 Presidential Results by Demographic Trump earned a record share of Latino voters
at 42% compared to just 28% during his 2016
presidential campaign. Prior to 2024,
Democratic support among Hispanic voters has
slowly declined. Latinos are a major source of
population growth spanning the U.S. Winning a
significant share of Latino voters is critical to
winning all of the battlegrounds and is essential
if we are going to compete in Texas or Florida.
Trump was able to cut into Harris’s margin with
Black voters, doubling his support from 2020.
This is especially true of younger Black men.
While Harris was able to win over Asian
American voters, they shifted 5 points to the
right last cycle. Asian Americans are the
fastest-growing racial or ethnic group in the
country.
Native American voters continue to play a
consequential role in elections up and down the
ballot. In 2024, with targeted outreach by
Democrats across the West, these voters split
for Harris 57-39%.
Working-class voters split towards Trump by a
56 to 43% margin.
Independents, or those with no party affiliation,
split evenly between Trump and Harris after
favoring Biden by 9 points in 2020.
The understanding of true “swing” voters is
changing. Lower-propensity, lower-information
voters have a growing influence on presidential
election outcomes. A significant portion of
Trump’s margin of victory came from the
support of voters who participated in 2024 but
sat out in 2020. These voters tend to be more
diverse, younger and less educated.
Nevada Demographics
At more than 30% of our population, Nevada
has the fifth largest share of Latinos in the
country and remains the state with the
fastest-growing Latino population.
Nevada is home to a robust urban Black
population at 9.5%. The Black population in
Nevada has increased by 40% over the last
decade.
Nevada’s AANHPI population is just under 10%
and represents diverse backgrounds from
Filipino to Vietnamese to Chinese. In 2020,
AANHPI voters in Nevada helped secure
Biden’s victory with a 58 to 40% margin. Of all
the battleground states, Nevada has the
fastest-growing AANHPI population.
Nevada is home to 28 federally recognized
tribes, 31 tribal lands and has increased access
to voting on rural tribal land in recent years. The
Native American population in Nevada is 1.4%
and continues to grow.
Nevada is a union state, ranking 16th among
all states in percentage of employees
represented by unions, with a rate far
exceeding the national average and other early
nominating states.
Nonpartisans and third party registrants make
up the plurality of voters in Nevada, often
skewing younger and more diverse. Through
same-day registration, nonpartisan and third
party voters have the opportunity to participate
in the Democratic presidential primary.
Where only a quarter of the population over the
age of 25 have a college degree, Nevada has
the highest concentration of non-college
voters of all the current early state applicants
and all of the presidential battlegrounds. They
make up 70% of our electorate. A candidate
who can appeal to and mobilize this “swing”
electorate is in the best position to win in ‘28.Given the razor-thin margins in Nevada that impact every race from statewide to local contests,
the early investment, organizing and engagement of a pre-window nominating contest will also
strengthen the Democratic infrastructure in Nevada critical to delivering the state for the
presidential election. Since we began holding a pre-window contest in 2008, Nevada Democrats
have consistently harnessed presidential primary engagement as an opportunity to register
voters and organize effectively, at scale, for the general election. In 2024, despite a nationwide
red wave, this level of organization helped Nevada hold the line on down-ballot races.
Q: Is Nevada prepared to host a contest as critical as the first election in the
presidential nominating calendar?
The answer to whether we are prepared to host the First in the Nation presidential contest is in
our record of delivering results for nearly two decades in this working-class battleground.
Nevada has been First in the West since 2008, with experience planning and executing
caucuses for multiple open presidential primaries as well as turning out voters in our first
state-run primary in 2024. In 2020, we were able to adapt quickly following the technical
reporting errors that hampered the Iowa caucus, pulling off a successful caucus that allowed for
early voting and increased participation while also declaring a winner in the same day. After
passing Democratic legislation to shift from a caucus state to a state-run primary in 2021, the
state party is now able to focus our resources on registering and activating voters and
volunteers who we can continue to engage through the general election. In 2024, despite being
a non-competitive primary year, Nevada Democrats broke previous turnout records.
We also have a record of winning nearly every competitive statewide race since 2008 including
reelecting Harry Reid in the 2010 midterm that every national and local pundit predicted
Democrats would lose; being the only battleground to stave off a Trump victory in 2016 while
also electing the first Latina to the U.S. Senate; winning a second U.S. Senate seat as well as
electing the first Democratic Governor in 20 years; delivering the U.S. Senate majority in 2022
by reelecting Cortez Masto in the closest Senate contest in the country and winning downballot
Senate and Congressional races against a nationwide red wave in 2024.
We are a year-round organization that operates in off-years to continue and grow engagement
in must-win communities, hire and train staff who are prepared to work on competitive
campaigns, and register Democrats. We have an infrastructure of activists and donors, a
capable team, a solid track record and proven ability to host a successful First in the Nation
nominating contest that will put forward a candidate who can win in November. NV Dems has a
deep understanding of the magnitude of hosting such a critical contest.
Q: How will a Nevada First Primary contribute to increased Democratic voter
registration?
Prior to 2024, when Nevada held caucuses for the presidential nomination, the ability to
same-day register Democratic voters contributed to a significant Democratic voter registration
edge. As is the case in many states, the current political landscape, along with automatic voter
registration, has increased the share of non-partisan voters. A First in the Nation primary,
combined with same-day voter registration, will provide an opportunity to increase and retain
Democratic partisan voter registration in the state. Moreover, in a state where the plurality of
voters do not identify with either major party, viable presidential candidates will have the
opportunity and incentive to craft a message that resonates with independent and nonpartisan
voters from the earliest stages of their campaigns. With the shift from a caucus to a primary, andwith more voters able to participate, Nevada Democrats are ready to leverage the enthusiasm of
a competitive Democratic Presidential Preference Primary to register new Democrats.
Q: Will Nevada’s Primary produce timely and accurate results?
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.
Q: Is Nevada “too far away” to be first?
Presidential elections are not won or lost in one time zone or in one region of the country. The
calendar was updated in 2006 to ensure that candidates had to campaign across regions –
across the entire country – by adding the West and the South. In some ways, Nevada’s location
in the Mountain West makes it a natural to hold the first contest. Of the twelve states under
consideration to hold a pre-window contest, eight are fully or partially located in the eastern time
zone. As the only state under consideration in the Pacific Time Zone, the logistics make sense
for candidates – who hail from states spanning the country – to focus their time here first rather
than spending time later in the pre-window traveling back and forth between time zones.
Q: How does Nevada reflect the diverse electorate within the Democratic Party?
Nevada is the third-most diverse state in the nation and our electorate represents a truly
multiracial coalition. We are a vibrant majority-minority state that Latino, Black, AANHPI, Native
American, multi-racial, young and white communities all call home. We also represent
geographical diversity with large urban centers in Washoe and Clark Counties and sprawling
rural communities that make up the state’s additional 15 counties. Moreover, we are the working
class. Nevada rewards candidates who can appeal to all economic and educational levels. Of
the battleground states, Nevada has the highest percentage of working-class adults, and our
share of union workers is above the national average. Elevating a union-strong, diverse, highly
competitive battleground state will lay the groundwork to help Democrats win back
working-class voters and voters of color. If we rebuild that coalition, we will win back the White
House.
In Conclusion
If Democrats are committed to winning national elections in 2028 and beyond, elevating Nevada
as the first presidential preference primary will set our party up for success. Our state will
provide a level playing field, an accessible and efficient state-run primary, and the best proving
ground for presidential candidates to show they can engage diverse, working-class voters.
Putting Nevada first will put us in the best position to win back the White House. We look
forward to presenting Nevada’s case to the committee and answering more of your thoughtful
questions. Thank you for your commitment to strengthening the Democratic Party.
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