The truth is that nobody likes coming in last.
Following the implementation of the current party nominating system in 1972, states began vying for more favourable positions, or “front-loading,” on the presidential nomination calendar in an attempt to gain influence and some attention from contenders.
In 1988, the first true Super Tuesday occurred when about 20 states coordinated to conduct primaries on the second Tuesday in March. This included all of the southern states except South Carolina, which had an even more important place on the calendar.
The day of the multi-state primary when the most delegates are granted by either party has since become an integral feature of the primary schedule. There will be 16 Democratic presidential contests and 15 Republican elections this year, and it has been held on the first Tuesday in March since 2012.
Even if that sounds like a lot, it pales in comparison to Super Tuesday in 2008.
Two dozen states had their presidential primaries that year, with candidates from both major parties vying for the chance to succeed term-limited and tremendously unpopular George W. Bush. Because there were so many, CNN dubbed it “Super Duper Tuesday” because “Super” wasn’t quite enough.
However, other states thought Super Tuesday had passed them by. Due to Florida and Michigan’s attempt to skip December and go straight into January, the calendar was even more front-loaded than normal that year; Super Tuesday fell on February 5th.
On that crucial day in 2008, John McCain easily won the Republican nomination, and the next morning, Barack Obama announced a razor-thin delegate lead over Hillary Clinton.
Compared to 2020, when there were 15 Democratic contests, this year there are 16. (This year, Iowa is the new one.) Of note, there were fifteen Republican primaries and caucuses on Super Tuesday, compared to eleven on same day in 2016.
