primaries

Cultural  

1. State elections of delegates to the nominating convention that chooses a major party's presidential candidate. In some states, delegates are elected by popular vote; in other states, party caucus es or miniconventions choose delegates.

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Primaries occur at different times during the presidential election year, a situation that drags out the process by which parties nominate candidates but allows wide public exposure to candidates and issues.

Example Sentences

Facing similar questions about the source of his wealth and poor showings in early Democratic primaries, he dropped out in February of 2020.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

In many states, primaries are over or nearly so.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026

Utah’s will take effect May 6, ahead of its June 23 primaries, while South Dakota’s will take effect immediately before its June 2 primaries.

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

The traditionally bipartisan organization, which seeks to work towards a majority pro-Israel US Congress, saw mixed success in Illinois, with two of its four preferred candidates winning their primaries.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

In the final weeks of the primaries, Barack’s campaign began expanding my team to include a scheduler and a personal aide—Kristen Jarvis, a warmhearted former staffer from Barack’s U.S.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama