Presidential primaries

During Presidential elections, the Democratic and Republican parties choose their respective Presidential candidates by a series of primaries, each awarding a predetermined number of delegates: the Democratic primaries award a total of 5284 delegates, requiring 2643 for a majority. The Republican primaries award a total of 2392, requiring 1197 for a majority.

In contrast to real life, where an outright majority of delegates is required, the nominee is the candidate who secures the largest number of delegates, so it may not be necessary to reach an outright majority. If three or more candidates are splitting delegates, none may reach the majority threshold, but the nominee will still be chosen at the primaries' conclusion.

Closed primaries only allow registered party voters to vote, while open primaries allow independents to vote, too. Winner-Take-All states award all their delegates to the candidate with the most votes. Proportional states award their candidates proportionally among all candidates achieving a minimum threshold of 15%. Caucuses are not modeled in-game; all states which hold them in real life hold primaries instead.

Primary Debates
Year before election Year of election
 * Week 37
 * Week 42
 * Week 46
 * Week 50
 * Week 4
 * Week 6
 * Week 8
 * Week 9

Primary Debates
Year before election Year of election
 * Week 38
 * Week 44
 * Week 47
 * Week 51,
 * Week 3
 * Week 5
 * Week 7
 * Week 9