Super Tuesday for the Non-Politico

By Connect Mason Reporter Rachael Dickson

Super Tuesday is the day in February where the most primaries or caucuses are held throughout the country to select delegates to the two major political parties’ national conventions. These conventions are where each party’s presidential candidates are officially nominated, making Super Tuesday an extremely important day for presidential candidates.

This year, Super Tuesday is February 5, with 24 states holding primaries or caucuses, making it the largest Super Tuesday to date. More and more states have been moving their primaries up in order to have more of an effect on presidential candidate selection, as it is perceived that the candidate will generally be decided on Super Tuesday, with primaries taking place afterwards having little importance to the selection. However, with the closeness in the races of both parties this year, Virginia’s February 12 primary election may come into play.

The states holding their primaries on February 5 this year include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. In the states of Kansas, Montana, New Mexico, and West Virginia, only one of the two political parties is holding their primary on this day.