Democrats are gathering to finalize their 2028 presidential primary calendar this week, setting the stage for a wide-open contest to succeed President Donald Trump and chart a path ahead as the party’s voters oscillate between progressive and more moderate candidates.

Democrats believe they can make Iowa a political battleground again.

Iowa’s state party officials say it was a mistake that the party’s 2024 nominating calendar forced them to ditch the five-decade, first-in-the-nation caucus where community members publicly signal their support for a candidate.

Iowa Democrats are proposing a novel way to get around their demotion from the leadoff spot on the party’s presidential nominating calendar: They would still put on the first-in-the-nation caucuses but would be open to withholding the results until after other states hold their contests.

There are signs of Democratic fatigue in Iowa, a state viewed for decades as a true political battleground.