Overview

Super Tuesday is an election day in the United States presidential primary in which large clusters of states vote simultaneously. These election days aim to give a clearer picture of the parties' leading candidates as they are able to amass more delegates earlier in the race.

Background

Super Tuesday happens as part of the presidential primary process, in which the two dominant political parties in the United States, the Democrats, and the Republicans, elect candidates for the presidency. 1984 saw the first Super Tuesdays when three were held during the Democratic presidential primary.^[1]

Developments

Following the Democratic candidate Walter Mondale's loss to incumbent President Ronald Regan in 1984, Democratic leaders in southern states devised a cluster of elections in southern states in hopes of boosting the chances of more moderate candidates early in the election process. This was the first time the phrase was used.

From 1992 through 2000, Super Tuesday was used by Democrats and Republicans alike, with Bill Clinton, Bobo Dole, Al Gore and George W. Bush all winning Super Tuesday contests before clinching their parties' respective nominations.

In 2004, a "Mini-Tuesday" contest was held. At this time, many states moved their elections up in the calendar to increase their importance in the election.

Four years later, nearly half the country participated in an early Super Tuesday contest, with 24 states voting on February 5th, 2008.

List of Super Tuesday Contests

March 11th, 1980: Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

March 13th, 1984: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Washington,

March 8th, 1988: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Virginia.

March 10th, 1992: Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.

March 12th, 1996: Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas.

March 7th, 2000: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

March 2nd, 2004: California, Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Feb. 5th, 2008: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.

March 6th, 2012: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.

March 1st, 2016: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.^[2]

March 3rd, 2020: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.

Search Interest

External References