Political party pre-primary nominations and endorsements
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A primary election allows voters to determine which candidates compete in a general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election. In some states, political parties can nominate primary election candidates, preventing them from having to gather petition signatures or take other steps to qualify for the ballot. In other states, a party will vote to endorse a particular candidate, with that endorsement reflected on the primary ballot.
As of February 2026:
Pre-primary endorsement or designation processes by state
The map and table below identify those states in which political parties have processes for nominating or endorsing candidates for statewide, congressional, or state legislative offices. It does not include processes for selecting candidates for judicial or local offices, as well as party offices or presidential delegates.
| State | Status | Statute |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No pre-primary nominations allowed[1] | Ala. Code § 17-13-5 |
| Alaska | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Alaska Stat. § 15.25.0300 |
| Arizona | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-311 |
| Arkansas | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Ark. Code. Ann. § 7-7-304 |
| California | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Cal. Election Code § 8020 |
| Colorado | Pre-primary nomination allowed. Under Colorado law, assemblies may place up to two candidates per office on the primary election ballot. Candidates must receive more than 30% of the vote at a county or state assembly or, if no candidate receives 30% of the vote, be among the top two vote-getters on the second ballot. Candidates designated for the ballot by an assembly are not required to petition for placement on the primary election ballot. Candidates who are not nominated via assembly may qualify for the ballot by petition | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-4-601 |
| Connecticut | Pre-primary nomination allowed, party endorsement designated on ballot. Under state law, a candidate can become the party-endorsed candidate and qualify for the primary by receiving an endorsement at a party's convention. Party-endorsed candidates are placed first on the ballot, with an asterisk following their name. If this endorsement is not earned, the candidate can still qualify for the primary either by receiving at least 15% of convention delegate votes during any roll-call vote on the proposed endorsement of the candidate or by obtaining the signatures of at least 2% of enrolled party members in the state. Primaries must be held if a candidate other than the party-endorsed candidate qualifies | Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 9-382, 'Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 9-400 &Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 9-415, & Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 9-437 |
| Delaware | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Del. Code Ann. tit. 15 § 3106 |
| Florida | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Fla. Stat. § 99.061 |
| Georgia | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Ga. Code § 21-2-153 |
| Hawaii | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 12-3 |
| Idaho | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Idaho Code § 34-704 |
| Illinois | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Comp. Stat. ch. 10, § 7-10 |
| Indiana | No pre-primary nominations allowed[2] | Ind. Code §§ 3-8-2-2 |
| Iowa | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Iowa Code § 43.13 |
| Kansas | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 205 |
| Kentucky | No pre-primary nominations allowed[3] | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 118.125 |
| Louisiana | No pre-primary nominations allowed | La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:410.4 & La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:461 |
| Maine | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 21-A § 334 |
| Maryland | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Md. Election Law Code Ann. § 5-703.1 |
| Massachusetts | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 6 |
| Michigan | No pre-primary nominations allowed[4] | Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.542 |
| Minnesota | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Minn. Stat. § 204B.03 |
| Mississippi | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Miss. Code Ann. § 23-15-296 |
| Missouri | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.347 |
| Montana | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Mont. Code Ann. § 13-10-201 |
| Nebraska | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-602 |
| Nevada | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293-177 |
| New Hampshire | No pre-primary nominations allowed | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 655:14 |
| New Jersey | No pre-primary nominations allowed | N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:13-1 |
| New Mexico | Pre-primary nomination allowed. Candidates for statewide office or U.S. representative who receive 20% or more of the convention delegate votes are nominated to the primary ballot. Candidates who are not nominated via convention can still qualify for the primary by nominating petition | A N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-8-21 & A N.M. Stat. Ann. § 1-8-21.1 |
| New York | Pre-primary nomination allowed. State committees can nominate primary candidates by a majority vote. Candidates who receive more than 25% of the vote cast on any ballot may petition to have their names placed on the primary ballot. Candidates who are not nominated by their party can qualify for the primary by filing a nominating petition with a certain number of signatures | Election Law § 6-104 & Election Law § 6-118 |
| North Carolina | No pre-primary nominations allowed | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-106 |
| North Dakota | Pre-primary nomination allowed. A candidate can be added to the primary ballot via an endorsement from the political party's statewide convention or, for legislative offices, a legislative district meeting. Candidates who are not endorsed can qualify for the primary by filing a nominating petition with a certain number of signatures | N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-11-06 |
| Ohio | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.04 |
| Oklahoma | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 5-101 |
| Oregon | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Or. Rev. Stat. § 249.020 |
| Pennsylvania | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Pa. Stat. tit. 25, § 906 |
| Rhode Island | No pre-primary nominations allowed, party endorsement designated on ballot. State or local party committees in Rhode Island may endorse candidates for the primary election, with endorsed candidates listed first on the ballot. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-12-4, R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-14-11, &R.I. Gen. Laws § 17-15-8 |
| South Carolina | No pre-primary nominations allowed[5] | S.C. Code Ann. § 7-11-15 |
| South Dakota | No pre-primary nominations allowed[6] | S.D. Codified Laws § 12-6-4 |
| Tennessee | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Tenn. Code Ann. § 2-13-201 |
| Texas | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Tex. Elec. Code Ann. § 172.021 |
| Utah | Pre-primary nomination allowed. An individual can become a primary candidate by being nominated at a party's convention. Candidates who are not nominated at a party's convention can qualify for the primary by gathering sufficient petition signatures | Utah Code Ann. § 20A-9-407 |
| Vermont | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 17, § 2353 |
| Virginia | No pre-primary nominations allowed[7] | Va. Code § 24.2-520 |
| Washington | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Wash. Rev. Code §29A. 24.031 |
| West Virginia | No pre-primary nominations allowed | W. Va. Code § 3-5-7 |
| Wisconsin | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Wis. Stat. § 8.15 |
| Wyoming | No pre-primary nominations allowed | Wyo. Stat. § 22-5-204 |
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See also
- Non-primary nominations for major party candidates
- Caucus
- Closed primary
- Semi-closed primary
- Blanket primary
- Top-two primary
- Open primary
Footnotes
- ↑ A political party's state executive committee is presumed to nominate its candidates for the general election via the state's primary election laws; however, primary elections are not required. A party must file a notice opting out of the primary system at least 60 days before the primary election occurs.
- ↑ Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, and attorney general are nominated at party conventions, rather than primary elections
- ↑ Kentucky law allows candidates serving in the armed forces in wartime to be nominated by an application submitted by two reputable electors who are members of the candidate's political party
- ↑ Candidates for lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, Supreme Court, and the boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the state Board of Education are nominated at party conventions, rather than primary elections
- ↑ A political party may nominate its candidates via convention, instead of a primary, if there is a three-fourths vote of the total membership of the convention to use the convention nomination process and a majority of voters in that party's next primary election approve the use of the convention nomination process.
- ↑ Candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor, state treasurer, commissioner of school and public lands, and public utilities commissioner are nominated at party conventions.
- ↑ Under state law, party authorities "have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination ... shall be made." However, effective January 2024, the law also states that a method of nomination "shall not be selected if such method will have the practical effect of excluding participation in the nominating process by qualified voters who are otherwise eligible to participate" but cannot attend meetings due to being active duty military, temporarily living outside of the U.S., being a student, having a disability, or experiencing a contagious disease. Candidates participating in a primary election must file a declaration of candidacy to appear on the ballot.
