Editorial: Iowa Democrats should go first in 2028 caucuses

Editorial: Iowa Democrats should go first in 2028 caucuses

The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee announced last week that Iowa, once again, would not lead off the Democratic presidential nominating calendar in 2028. The full DNC still must approve that plan next month — but they’ve made it clear, they don’t want Iowa to go first, and more, they don’t even have our state included in the proposed early window.

For five decades, Iowa’s Democratic caucuses have led off the Presidential election process. The GOP joined this process a few years after the first Democratic caucus. That all changed in 2024. That’s when the DNC removed Iowa from its place at the front of the line. Through negotiation, Iowa Democrats still held January caucuses for party business that year, but presidential preference moved to mail-in cards — and the results were not released until Super Tuesday.

Gone were the days when party faithful gathered in basements, bars and gymnasiums to caucus for their presidential choice. The Republican Party has not finalized its 2028 calendar, but Iowa GOP leaders have made clear they intend for Iowa to lead off the Republican nominating process

This is bad news for Iowa, bad news for our electorate and, I would argue, bad news for the entire nominating process.

Look no further than the words of a past presidential candidate — Pete Buttigieg — who told our own Amanda Rooker what the caucus process did for his candidacy and leadership.

"I definitely became a better, not just a better candidate, but a better public servant because of the experience of campaigning in the Iowa Caucuses," he said. "The fact that you had to go into backyards and into high schools and diners. The people in this state take their civic responsibility so seriously."

And then there’s Barack Obama, whose Iowa victory launched him toward a two-term presidency. The moment mattered so much that he ended his final campaign with a stop in Des Moines in 2012.

Now some current and former state Democratic party leaders have said Iowa should go first, regardless of what the DNC says. We’ve been saying that all along.

There is something special about what happens here. Iowa voters take seriously their responsibility to vet these candidates. They show up — often when those first meetings are still in a dining room or church basement. They ask tough questions. And they force candidates to understand how the issues really matter to real people.

Maybe that can be duplicated somewhere else. But it will take time. Iowa should go first. Period. Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann agrees. He says if Iowa Democrats decide to buck the DNC, he’ll work with them to hold both caucuses on the same date.

Iowa represents the heartland. It represents middle America. Its voice should be counted.

We encourage the Iowa Democratic Party to go first — and go it alone, if it has to. Do what is best for Iowans, because we believe it is ultimately what is best for the process.