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

With less than six months until the general election, and state primaries already well underway, you’d think that the rules of engagement for the 2026 midterms would be set by now.

From Salon • May 16, 2026

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City has sparked a wave of imitators in Democratic primaries across the country, including Maine’s Graham Platner, who drove the governor out of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

It is hard to imagine a state ordering a rerunning of primaries under new districts to gut old Section 2 districts.

From Slate • Apr. 29, 2026

As a whole, the general election had been less grueling than the pitched battle of the primaries.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama