Virginia Could Vote Early in the 2028 Presidential Primary — On Leap Day

Scott Surovell calls it "a remarkable honor." What it would mean, and how Virginia has voted lately.

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Virginia is in line to hold one of the first six Democratic presidential primaries of the 2028 cycle — a change that would pull the Commonwealth out of the Super Tuesday crowd and into the stretch of the calendar where nominations are shaped.

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted July 24 to recommend a six-state early window: South Carolina on Jan. 22, Nevada on Feb. 1, New Hampshire on Feb. 8, New Mexico on Feb. 15, Michigan on Feb. 22 and Virginia on Feb. 29 — leap day. All six would vote ahead of Super Tuesday on March 7. The committee amended its own rules to expand the window from four or five states to six, citing the strength of the applications it received. Twelve states applied.

Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who represents parts of Fairfax County just south of Alexandria, welcomed the recommendation in a statement over the weekend.

"I am proud to see Virginia recognized by the Democratic National Committee as one of the first six states in the 2028 presidential primary calendar," Surovell said. "This is a remarkable honor that reflects the trust national Democrats place in Virginia voters to help shape the future of our party and our nation."

Surovell, a former chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, argued that the Commonwealth has been overlooked in presidential politics. "Our Commonwealth's diversity, economic strength, and political importance have too often been taken for granted in the presidential process," he said. "This early primary designation finally gives Virginia the platform it has always merited."

Two things still have to happen

The recommendation is not final. The full DNC takes it up at its summer meeting Aug. 13–15.

Even with the party's blessing, the date is set in Virginia law — the presidential primary falls on the first Tuesday in March, which in 2028 would be March 7. Moving it to Feb. 29 requires action by the General Assembly, which next convenes in January 2027. Democrats hold the House of Delegates, the state Senate and the governor's office.

How Virginia has voted

For most of the past half-century, Virginia was reliably Republican in presidential years, backing the GOP nominee in every election from 1968 through 2004.

That ended in 2008, when Barack Obama became the first Democrat to carry the Commonwealth since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Democrats have won it in every presidential election since:

  • 2008 — Obama defeats John McCain, breaking a run of 10 straight Republican wins
  • 2012 — Obama carries Virginia again, by about four points
  • 2016 — Hillary Clinton wins roughly 49.7% to Donald Trump's 44.4%
  • 2020 — Joe Biden wins about 54% to 44%, the strongest Democratic showing in Virginia since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944
  • 2024 — Kamala Harris wins roughly 51.8% to 46.1%, even as Trump won nationally

Virginia carries 13 electoral votes.

The 'Mother of Presidents'

Virginia's claim to a bigger role in choosing presidents has some history behind it. Eight U.S. presidents were born in Virginia, more than any other state — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Woodrow Wilson. Four of the first five presidents were Virginians, a run known as the Virginia Dynasty.

The streak is long over. Wilson, born in Staunton, took office in 1913 and remains the last Virginia-born president.

Leap day isn't new either

If the Feb. 29 date holds, it would not be Virginia's first leap-day presidential primary. The Commonwealth held one on Feb. 29, 2000, a Republican-only contest won by George W. Bush. Virginia Democrats used caucuses that year instead.

One question the calendar leaves open: whether both parties would vote on the same day. Republican Party rules have historically reserved February contests for a handful of designated early states, which could leave Virginia Republicans voting in March while Democrats vote in February — meaning two separate presidential primaries, and two bills for local registrars.

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