Timeline of the 2020 United States presidential election

Timeline of the 2020 United States presidential election

November 3, 2020

The following is a timeline of major events leading up, during, and after the 2020 United States presidential election, the 59th quadrennial United States presidential election. President Donald Trump of the Republican Party, who was elected in 2016, is seeking reelection to a second term. The presidential primaries and caucuses are scheduled to be held between February and August 2020, staggered among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. On April 8, former vice president Joe Biden became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. The general election is scheduled to be held on November 3. The U.S. Congress is then scheduled to certify the electoral result on January 5, 2021, and the new or incumbent president and vice president will be inaugurated on January 20, 2021.

Republican Party ticket

President Donald Trump

Vice President Mike Pence

Democratic Party ticket

Former Vice President Joe Biden

Senator Kamala Harris

Libertarian Party ticket

Academic Jo Jorgensen

Podcaster and businessman Spike Cohen

Green Party ticket

Green Party co-founder Howie Hawkins

Former ATU Local 998 Legislative Director Angela Walker

2017

• February 17: Republican incumbent president Donald Trump informally announces his candidacy for a second term and holds the first of a series of occasional reelection campaign rallies in Melbourne, Florida.
• July 28: Representative John Delaney of Maryland officially announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party, breaking the record for the earliest official presidential candidacy declaration in history.
• November 6: Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang of New York announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.

2018

• January 16: Anti-war activist Adam Kokesh announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Libertarian Party. Hours after the announcement, he was pulled over twice and subsequently arrested on possession-related charges.
• May 3: The Republican National Committee eliminates their debate committee for the 2020 election cycle, signaling that they do not plan to sanction any debates between Trump and possible primary challengers.
• July 3: Former Libertarian National Committee vice-chair Arvin Vohra announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Libertarian Party.
• July 18: Charlotte, North Carolina is chosen as the host city of the 2020 Republican National Convention
• August 25: Democratic Party officials and television networks begin discussions as to the nature and scheduling of the following year's debates and the nomination process. Changes were made to the role of superdelegates, deciding to only allow them to vote on the first ballot if the nomination is uncontested
• November 6: In the midterm elections, the Democrats capture control of the U.S. House of Representatives with a net gain of 41 seats. The Republicans hold their majority in the U.S. Senate with a net gain of two seats.
• November 7: President Trump confirms that Mike Pence will remain vice presidential pick
• November 11: West Virginia state senator Richard Ojeda announces candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party. He ultimately would become the first candidate to withdraw from the race, suspending his campaign on January 25, 2019, more than a year before the Iowa caucus (see below).
• December 12: Former secretary of housing and urban development Julian Castro forms a presidential exploratory committee for a possible run for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• December 31: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts forms an exploratory committee for a possible run for the nomination of the Democratic Party. She would ultimately decide to commit to an official campaign in February 2019 (see below).

2019

January 2019

Kamala Harris launched her campaign on January 21, 2019

• January 11: Representative Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii announces she has decided to run for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• January 12: Former secretary of housing and urban development Julian Castro officially announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• January 15: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York announces the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible run for the nomination of the Democratic Party. She would then launch an official campaign in March (see below).
• January 21: Senator Kamala Harris of California officially announces her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• January 23: Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg announces the formation of an exploratory committee for a possible run for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• January 25:
  • Ojeda drops out of the Democratic nomination race, saying that he has little chance of success.
  • The Republican National Committee unofficially endorses Trump.
• January 27: Starbucks founder Howard Schultz announces possible independent presidential bid, which is followed by a furious backlash on social media
• January 28: Spiritual teacher and author Marianne Williamson of California announces her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.

February 2019

Bill Weld announcing the formation of an exploratory committee on February 15, 2019, becoming Trump's first official Republican challenger

• February 1: On Twitter, Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• February 9: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts announces her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party, soon after forming an exploratory committee.
• February 10: Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota announces her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• February 12: The first mass-rally of the Trump campaign of the year takes place in El Paso, Texas. A counter-rally led by former Democratic U.S. representative Beto O'Rourke of Texas takes place less than a mile away. O’Rourke would later enter the race in March for the Democratic nomination (see below).
• February 13–15: Winter meeting of the Democratic National Committee, in which the rules of the upcoming primary are promulgated
• February 15: Former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld announces the formation of an exploratory committee, becoming Trump's first official challenger in the Republican primaries
• February 18: Youngstown Board of Education member Dario Hunter announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Green Party.
• February 19: Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.

March 2019

Elizabeth Warren (right) being interviewed by Anand Giridharadas at South by Southwest, March 2019

• March 1: Governor Jay Inslee of Washington announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• March 4: Former governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• March 5: Former mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City announces that, after exploring the possibility, he will not run for president in 2020.
• March 10: Presidential Forum at South by Southwest, the first so-called "cattle call" event of the cycle.
• March 11: Milwaukee, Wisconsin is chosen as the host city of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, beating out Miami, Florida and Houston, Texas.
• March 13: Wayne Messam, the Democratic mayor of Miramar, Florida, announces the formation of an exploratory committee
• March 14: O'Rourke officially announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• March 17: Gillibrand officially announces her candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party, having previously formed an exploratory committee two month earlier (see above).
• March 28: Messam formally announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.
• March 30: Castro, Delaney, Klobuchar, Ryan, and Warren appear at the Heartland Forum at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, discussing issues affecting rural Americans.

April 2019

Joe Biden launched his campaign on April 25, 2019, increasing the number of major Democratic candidates to 20

• April 1: Eight Democratic candidates attend the We the People Membership Summit at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., discussing Democracy reform.
• April 3–5: National Action Network convention. The second so-called "cattle call" event of the campaign. Twelve candidates show up and speak.
• April 4: Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination.
• April 8:
  • Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination.
  • Representative Eric Swalwell of California announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination.
• April 14: Buttigieg officially announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination, having previously formed an exploratory committee earlier in January (see above).
• April 15: Weld officially announces his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, having previously formed an exploratory committee earlier in February (see above).
• April 22: Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination.
• April 24: Eight Democratic candidates attend the She the People Presidential Forum at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, discussing issues affecting women of color.
• April 25: Former vice president Joe Biden announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination. He becomes the 20th major Democratic candidate to enter the race.
• April 27: Several Democratic candidates attend the National Forum on Wages and Working People at Enclave in Las Vegas, Nevada, discussing economic issues affecting low-income Americans.

May 2019

Beto O'Rourke speaking at the 2019 California State Democratic Convention, held from May 31 to June 2

• May 2: Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party
• May 14: Governor Steve Bullock of Montana announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.
• May 16:
  • New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.
  • Businessman and perennial candidate Rocky De La Fuente announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Republican Party.
• May 28: Green Party co-founder Howie Hawkins announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Green Party.
• May 31: Castro, Inslee, Harris, and Sanders discuss immigration reform at the Unity and Freedom Forum at the Hilton Pasadena, in Pasadena, California.
• May 31-June 2: California State Democratic Convention, a major "cattle call" event attended by most major candidates. Joe Biden is a no-show at the event, attending a Human Rights Campaign event in Ohio at the same time.

June 2019

Donald Trump officially kicking-off his re-election campaign in Orlando, Florida on June 18, 2019

• June 1: Several Democratic candidates attend the Big Ideas Forum at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California.
• June 5: Iowa Democrats' Hall of Fame Dinner: an event featuring 19 candidates. Due to his granddaughter's high school graduation, Biden is absent.
• June 13: The Democratic National Committee announces that 20 candidates will participate in the first official Democratic debate on June 26–27.
• June 15: Several Democratic candidates attend the Presidential Candidates Forum at Charleston Music Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, televised on a tape delay on BET.
• June 17: Ten Democratic candidates discuss issues affecting low-income Americans at the Poor People's Campaign Presidential Forum at Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C.
• June 18: Trump holds "kickoff" rally in Orlando, Florida.
• June 21: Issues affecting Hispanic and Latino Americans are discussed by eight Democratic candidates at the NALEO Presidential Candidate Forum at Telemundo Center in Miami, Florida.
• June 22:
  • Democratic candidates make seven-minute speeches at the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention at the Columbia Convention Center in Columbia, South Carolina.
  • Several Democratic candidates discuss abortion and reproductive health care issues at The We Decide: 2020 Election Membership Forum at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.
• June 23: Former representative Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination. Sestak cited his daughter's fight with brain cancer as his reason for his delayed June announcement.
• June 26–27: The Democratic debate series commences with a two-night debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center in downtown Miami, hosted by NBC and broadcast on its networks.
• June 30: New Hampshire state representative Max Abramson announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Libertarian Party.

July 2019

Bernie Sanders campaigning at the Ames, Iowa July 4 parade, 2019

• July 5: Issues affecting public schools are discussed by Democratic candidates at the Strong Public Schools Presidential Forum at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.
• July 8: Swalwell becomes the second candidate, after Ojeda on January 25, to drop out of the Democratic nomination race. Swalwell says that he wanted to narrow the crowded Democratic field after he felt that he did not have a path to winning it himself.
• July 9: Hedge fund manager Tom Steyer of California announces his candidacy for the nomination of the Democratic Party.
• July 11: Issues affecting Hispanic and Latino Americans are discussed by Democratic candidates at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Presidential Candidates Forum at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• July 11–13: Castro, Gillibrand, Inslee, and Warren make appearances at the Netroots Nation at the Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the Netroots Foundation.
• July 15–20: Twenty Democratic candidates make appearances at the Iowa Presidential Candidate Forums in Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Council Bluffs.
• July 18: CNN announces the lineup for the second Democratic debate to be held July 30–31.
• July 24: Ten Democratic candidates appear at the 2020 Presidential Candidates Forum in Detroit, Michigan.
• July 30: Democratic governor Gavin Newsom of California signs a bill into state law requiring presidential candidates to release their tax returns for the past five years in order to qualify for the California primary ballot. It is intended to force President Trump to reveal his taxes, which he has refused to do since his 2016 campaign. Republicans view this as unconstitutional, claiming that a state cannot mandate additional eligibility requirements for the presidency beyond what is stated in Article Two of the US Constitution.
• July 30–31: The second Democratic debate commences with a two-night debate at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, airing on CNN.

August 2019

Andrew Yang at the Presidential Gun Sense Forum on August 10, 2019

• August 1: Gravel becomes the third candidate to drop out of the Democratic nomination race, citing a failure to qualify for either Democratic debates.
• August 3: Nineteen Democratic candidates attend the Public Service Forum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
• August 5–6: Lawsuits are filled to challenge California's new law that will prevent President Trump from appearing on the state's primary ballot unless he releases his tax returns. The first lawsuit is filled by the conservative activist group Judicial Watch on behalf of four California voters. Additional lawsuits are filed on August 6 by the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and the California Republican Party.
• August 8–18: The Iowa State Fair takes place, and is attended by at least twenty of the candidates.
• August 10: Seventeen Democratic candidates discuss gun issues at the Gun Sense Forum in Des Moines, Iowa.
• August 15: Hickenlooper becomes the fourth candidate to drop out of the Democratic nomination race. His campaign cites low poll numbers, lack of donors, a large turnover of campaign staff in July, and the likelihood of not qualifying for the third Democratic debate in September.
• August 19: In the Iowa State Fair Straw Poll, Biden edged Warren by 10 votes among Democratic primary candidates, while Trump won at least 96 percent of the vote among Republican primary candidates.
• August 19–20: Democratic candidates discuss issues affecting Native Americans at the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum at Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, Iowa.
• August 21: Inslee becomes the fifth candidate to drop out of the Democratic nomination race. Unlikely to qualify for the third Democratic debate in September, he decides to instead run for another term as governor of Washington.
• August 23: Moulton becomes the sixth candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary. Never able to gather enough fundraising or to register in the polls, he decides to instead run for another term in the House of Representatives.
• August 25: Former congressman Joe Walsh from Illinois announces his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, becoming Trump's second official primary challenger after Weld.
• August 28:
  • Gillibrand becomes the seventh candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary, citing her inability to qualify for the third Democratic debate in September.
  • Only 10 candidates qualify for the third Democratic debate. Both Gabbard and Steyer criticize its stricter polling criteria that led to their disqualification.
• August 31: Due to security concerns, the Democratic National Committee orders both the Iowa and Nevada Democratic state parties to scrap their plans for "virtual caucuses", which would have allowed those unable to physically attend the Iowa or Nevada Democratic caucuses to participate online or by teleconference.

September 2019

Amy Klobuchar speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic state convention on September 7, 2019

• September 4: CNN holds and broadcasts a live seven-hour Climate Crisis Town Hall from New York City with the 10 candidates who qualified for the third Democratic debate, who appear one-at-a-time for roughly 40 minutes each.
• September 6: Schultz announces that he will instead not seek an independent presidential bid.
• September 7:
  • Kansas, Nevada, and South Carolina Republican state committees vote to cancel their respective primary/caucuses. Both of Trump's major challengers, Walsh and Weld, criticize the move.
  • Nineteen Democratic candidates appear at the New Hampshire Democratic state convention.
• September 8:
  • Former South Carolina governor and congressman Mark Sanford announces his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination, becoming Trump's third official primary challenger.
  • Gabbard, Steyer, and Yang attend the Asian American Pacific Islanders Progressive Democratic Presidential Forum at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, California.
• September 9: The Arizona Republican Party officially notifies Arizona secretary of state Katie Hobbs that they will scrap the Arizona Republican primary.
• September 12: The third Democratic debate takes place at H&PE Arena on the campus of Texas Southern University in Houston, airing on ABC and Univision.
• September 17: Six Democratic candidates appear at the Workers' Presidential Summit at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
• September 19–20: A Climate Forum, sponsored by MSNBC, takes place at Gaston Hall on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
• September 20:
  • de Blasio becomes the eighth candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary, admitting that he had no chance of winning the nomination.
  • Ten Democratic candidates appear at the LGBTQ Forum on the campus of Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• September 21:
  • Buttigieg, Castro, Sanders, and Warren appear at the Iowa People's Presidential Forum at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
  • The Alaska Republican Party officially scraps its state's Republican primary, stating it "would serve no useful purpose" because Trump is the incumbent president.
• September 22: Six Democratic candidates appear at the Youth Forum at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa.
• September 24:
  • Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, announces the start of a formal impeachment inquiry against Trump.
  • Business Insider hosts a non-RNC-sanctioned debate between Walsh and Weld, streamed live on both their website and their Facebook Watch show Business Insider Today. Sanford and Trump decline to participate.

October 2019

Pete Buttigieg at a town hall at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa on October 12, 2019

• October 1: Twelve candidates qualify for the fourth Democratic debate.
• October 2:
  • Sanders undergoes an unexpected heart surgery to treat a blocked artery, postponing his campaign events for at least a few days.
  • Nine Democratic candidates appear at the Gun Safety Forum in Las Vegas, Nevada
• October 10: Nine Democratic candidates appear at the LGBTQ Forum in Los Angeles, California
• October 15: The fourth Democratic debate takes place at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.
• October 24: Ryan becomes the ninth candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary, deciding to instead run for another term as House representative of Ohio.
• October 25–27: At Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center gives Trump an award for criminal justice reform. This causes Harris and several other Democratic candidates to threaten to boycott the Second Step Presidential Justice Forum, also being held at Benedict. Harris and the others then agree to rejoin the event after the 20/20 Bipartisan Justice Center removes its sponsorship of the forum.
• October 26:
  • Sanford, Walsh, and Weld appear at Politicon 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
  • Several Democratic candidates appear at the People's Presidential Forum Nevada in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• October 28: Forbes sponsors a non-RNC-sanctioned debate between Sanford, Walsh, and Weld at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan.
• October 31:
  • The House of Representatives votes to establish procedures for public hearings in the Trump impeachment inquiry, with two Democrats and all Republicans voting against the measure.
  • The Minnesota Republican Party submits its "determination of candidates" for its primary ballot to the Minnesota secretary of state, listing only Trump. Sanford and Walsh criticize the move for their exclusion from the Minnesota ballot. Minnesota Republican state party chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan claims that Trump was the only campaign to contact the state party for filing.

November 2019

Michael Bloomberg officially launched his campaign on November 24, 2019

• November 1:
  • O'Rourke becomes the tenth candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary, saying that he could not raise enough money to stay competitive in the race.
  • Several Democratic candidates appear at the Iowa Democratic Party's Liberty and Justice Celebration in Des Moines.
• November 3: Delaney, Gabbard, Williamson, and Weld appear at the non-partisan group No Labels's Problem Solver Convention in Manchester, New Hampshire.
• November 8:
  • Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg files at the deadline to qualify for the Alabama Democratic Primary, even though he is still thinking about officially entering the nationwide race.
  • Six Democratic candidates appear at the Environmental Justice Forum on the campus of South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
• November 12: Sanford becomes the first major candidate to drop out of the Republican primary, blaming the Trump impeachment inquiry for making it impossible to raise other issues in the debate.
• November 13, 15, 19–21: The House Intelligence Committee holds public investigative hearings in the Trump impeachment inquiry.
• November 13: Ten candidates qualify for the fifth Democratic debate.
• November 14: Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick announces his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination, hours before filing for the New Hampshire primary.
• November 16: Eight Democratic candidates appear at the California Democratic Party's Fall Endorsing Convention at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center in Long Beach, California.
• November 17:
  • The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is believed to have been contracted by a human being: a 55-year-old from Hubei province in China.
  • Fourteen Democratic candidates appear at the Nevada Democratic Party's First in the West event at the Bellagio resort on the Las Vegas Strip.
• November 20:
  • The fifth Democratic debate takes place at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta.
  • Messam becomes the eleventh candidate to drop out of the Democratic primary, citing poor poll numbers and inability to break through with voters.
• November 21:
  • Bloomberg announces the formation of an exploratory committee.
  • The California Supreme Court unanimously strikes down the July 30 state law that required presidential candidates to release their tax returns in order to qualify for the California primary ballot.
• November 24: Bloomberg officially enters the Democratic primary race. Because of his late entry, he decides to skip the first four contests (Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina) and instead starts aiming at those states holding primaries next on the schedule on Super Tuesday, March 3.

December 2019

The House of Representatives votes on the two articles to impeach Trump, cementing it as a major issue in the 2020 elections

• December 1: Sestak drops out of the Democratic primary, conceding that he could not gain traction after his relatively late entry into the contest.
• December 2: Bullock drops out of the Democratic primary, after struggling to gain enough money or garner enough support.
• December 3: Harris drops out of the Democratic primary, with her campaign running low on cash.
• December 7: Several Democratic candidates appear at the Teamsters Union Forum in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
• December 10–13: The House Judiciary Committee unveils, holds hearings, and votes along party lines to send two articles of impeachment against Trump to the full House.
• December 11: The Hawaii Republican Party officially scraps its state's Republican caucus, declaring Trump the winner by default, after he is the only candidate to declare for its ballot by the December 2 deadline. Because this is the first of the cancelled Republican state races that directly binds its delegates to the national convention (as opposed to a walking subcaucus-type system), Trump automatically is awarded his first pledged delegates of the nomination campaign.
• December 12: With the prospect of a Senate impeachment trial conflicting with the Democratic debate in January, the Democratic National Committee announces that they will work with the candidates to evaluate its options if they need to reschedule.
• December 13–17: After seven candidates qualify for the sixth Democratic debate, they all announce they will boycott it if an ongoing worker strike at its Loyola Marymount University venue in Los Angeles remains unresolved. This labor dispute is then resolved four days later, allowing the debate to proceed.
• December 14: Six Democratic candidates appear at the Public Education Forum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
• December 16: Gabbard, Patrick, Walsh, and Weld discuss mental health issues at the Unite for Mental Health: New Hampshire Town Hall in Manchester, New Hampshire.
• December 18: The full House of Representatives formally votes along party lines to impeach Trump. Gabbard, in her capacity as a House representative of Hawaii, is the lone congressperson to vote "present". A defiant Trump rallies supporters in Battle Creek, Michigan.
• December 19: The sixth Democratic debate takes place on the campus of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

2020

January 2020

Buttigieg campaigning in Des Moines, Iowa, January 12, 2020

Biden speaking to supporters at his campaign office in Des Moines, Iowa, January 13, 2020

• January 2:
  • Castro drops out of the Democratic primary, after failing to gain traction in the race and struggling to raise enough money to stay solvent.
  • Struggling financially, Williamson lays off her entire campaign staff but pledges to stay in the race with just volunteers.
• January 6: Former Rhode Island governor and senator Lincoln Chafee announces his candidacy for the Libertarian Party nomination.
• January 10:
  • Williamson drops out of the Democratic primary, eight days after laying off her entire campaign staff.
  • Six candidates qualify for the seventh Democratic debate.
• January 13: Struggling financially, and facing the prospect of being forced off the campaign trail to attend the impeachment trial of Donald Trump in his capacity as a senator, Booker drops out of the Democratic primary.
• January 14: The seventh Democratic debate takes place at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.
• January 15–16: The House of Representatives appoints impeachment managers, who then formally present the articles of impeachment to the Senate to begin the impeachment trial of Donald Trump. This forces the remaining senators running for the Democratic nomination (Bennet, Klobuchar, Sanders, and Warren) off the campaign trail on the days when the trial is in session.
• January 17:
  • The United States Supreme Court agrees to combine and hear Colorado Department of State v. Baca and Chiafalo v. Washington to resolve the question as to whether states can constitutionally punish faithless electors, a ruling that could fundamentally change the outcome of 2020 and future presidential elections.
  • Start of early voting: Minnesota
• January 18:
  • Start of early voting: Vermont, Virginia Democratic primary (In-Person Absentee)
  • The first of a series of North Dakota Republican Party district conventions, which elect delegates to the state party convention. The North Dakota Republican Party does not hold any presidential preference caucus or primary per se, but instead selects their national convention delegates directly at the state party convention.
• January 20: Eight Democratic candidates appear at the Iowa Brown and Black Forum in Des Moines, Iowa.
• January 21: The first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. is confirmed in Washington state.
• January 25: Start of early voting: Michigan
• January 28: The Lesser-Known Candidates Forum takes place at New Hampshire Institute of Politics on the campus of Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, featuring 17 Republican and 33 Democratic minor candidates.
• January 30: The World Health Organization (WHO) declares the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
• January 31:
  • Unable to gain traction, Delaney drops out of the Democratic race, stating that he does not want to take support from other candidates in the upcoming Iowa caucuses.
  • The Democratic National Committee removes the donor qualification requirements for the ninth and subsequent Democratic debates, paving the way for Bloomberg to participate since he is primarily using his own money instead of accepting individual donations. Several of Bloomberg's opponents complain that this is basically changing the rules in the middle of the game.
  • A group of six Democratic National Committee members discuss potential rule changes designed to weaken Sanders's surging campaign and head off a brokered convention. A DNC spokesman later dismisses the idea.
• January 31: The Kansas Republican Convention assembles, where the second delegation to the national convention is chosen and officially bound to Trump.

February 2020

Biden at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, February 2, 2020

Sanders at a rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 15, 2020

Trump at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona, February 19, 2020

• February 2: Start of early voting: Maine (In-Person Absentee)
• February 3:
  • Iowa Democratic caucuses. Final results are delayed after the Iowa Democratic Party experiences problems with its new app-based reporting system, causing errors and inconsistencies in the counting.
  • Iowa Republican caucuses are won by Trump
  • Start of early voting: California
• February 4:
  • The Nevada Democratic Party scraps the same app system that failed in Iowa, opting to directly use its backup reporting procedures for its state caucuses.
  • The 2020 State of the Union Address, Trump's third State of the Union Address, and the second one after the 1999 address by Bill Clinton to be delivered by an impeached president.
• February 5: The Senate ends the impeachment trial of Donald Trump and votes to acquit him, well short of the two-thirds super-majority required to convict him.
• February 6: The delays, errors, and inconsistencies surrounding the counting of the results of the Iowa Democratic caucuses prompts Democratic Chairman Tom Perez to call for a recanvass. Later that night, the Iowa Democratic Party announces the results of 100 percent of the precincts, showing Buttigieg and Sanders in a virtual tie for the lead (with the former having just a one-tenth of one percentage point advantage over the latter in state delegate equivalents) prompting several news organizations to not actually call a winner at this point.
• February 7:
  • Walsh drops out of the Republican primary, accusing the party of being a "cult" in which Trump cannot be beat, and vowing to help the Democratic nomination get elected in the November general election.
  • Eighth Democratic debate, St. Anselm College, Goffstown, New Hampshire.
• February 10: Both Buttigieg and Sanders formally request a recanvass of specific Iowa Caucus precincts.
• February 11:
  • New Hampshire Democratic primary: Sanders wins the popular vote, but his margin of victory over second-place Buttigieg is small enough that both candidates each clinch nine pledged delegates.
  • Both Bennet and Yang drop out of the Democratic race due to consecutive poor performances in Iowa and New Hampshire.
  • New Hampshire Republican primary is won by Trump
• February 12:
  • After a poor performance in the New Hampshire primary, Patrick drops out of the Democratic race.
  • Start of early voting: Tennessee
• February 13: Start of early voting: North Carolina
• February 15: Start of early voting: Nevada Democratic caucuses
• February 15–17: Moving America Forward infrastructure forum, Las Vegas, Nevada
• February 17: Start of early voting: Arkansas
• February 18: Start of early voting: Texas, Utah
• February 19:
  • Start of early voting: Arizona Democratic primary
  • Ninth Democratic debate, Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada.
• February 21: Start of voting in Washington All voting is by mail.
• February 22:
  • Nevada Democratic caucuses are won by Sanders.
  • The Nevada Republican state committee officially binds its state delegation to Trump.
• February 24: Start of early voting: Colorado, Massachusetts
• February 25: Tenth Democratic debate, Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina.
• February 27:
  • The Iowa Democratic Party announces the results of the recount of the Iowa Democratic caucuses, changing Buttigieg's initial 0.003 percent victory in the state delegate equivalents to 0.04 percent.
  • Start of early voting: Oklahoma
• February 29:
  • South Carolina Democratic primary is won by Biden
  • Unable to win any delegates during the first four Democratic contests, Steyer drops out of the race.

March 2020

Democratic primary and caucus calendar maps

Scheduled races as of March 12, 2020

Rescheduled races due to the COVID-19 pandemic

  February
  March 3 (Super Tuesday)
  March 10
  March 14–17
  March 24–29
  April 4–17
  April 28
  May
  June–August

---

Canceled Republican primaries/caucuses: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Kansas, Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Virginia

Sanders at a rally in San Jose, California, March 1, 2020

Biden at a campaign event in Bel Air, California, March 5, 2020

Trump participates in a town hall event hosted by Fox News in Scranton, Pennsylvania, March 5, 2020

• March 1: Following his fourth-place finish in the South Carolina Democratic primary, Buttigieg drops out of the race.
• March 2: Klobuchar drops out of the Democratic race. Both she and Buttigieg then endorse, and urge moderate Democrats to rally around, Biden.
• March 3 (Super Tuesday):
  • The New York Republican Party cancels its primary after Trump is the only candidate to submit the required number of names of his delegates. The candidates for delegate are declared elected.
  • Voting begins in the Democrats Abroad primary
  • Democratic primaries/caucuses:
    • Biden wins ten states: Alabama, Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia
    • Bloomberg wins American Samoa
    • Sanders wins four states: California, Colorado, Utah, and Vermont
  • Republican primaries:
    • Trump runs unopposed in Maine and Minnesota.
    • Trump wins the other 11 states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Vermont
• March 4: After an overall poor performance on Super Tuesday, Bloomberg drops out of the Democratic race and endorses Biden.
• March 5: After an overall poor performance on Super Tuesday, including in her home state of Massachusetts, Warren drops out of the Democratic race.
• March 10:
  • Due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, both Biden and Sanders cancel their Ohio rallies. The Democratic National Committee also announces that the 11th Democratic debate on March 15 will be held without an audience.
  • Voting period ends in the Democrats Abroad primary, with counting expected to be completed on March 23.
  • Democratic primaries/caucuses:
    • Washington, in which all voting is by mail, becomes too close to call with numerous votes still remaining to be counted.
    • Four states are called for Biden: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, and Missouri
    • North Dakota is called for Sanders
  • Republican primaries/caucuses:
    • Trump runs unopposed in North Dakota (non-binding race) and Washington.
    • Trump wins the four other states: Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, and Missouri
• March 11: The WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic.
• March 12: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic National Committee moves the 11th Democratic debate on March 15 from Phoenix, Arizona to the CNN studios in Washington, D.C.
• March 13:
  • Trump declares a national emergency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Louisiana becomes the first state to postpone its primaries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving them from April 4 to June 20.
• March 14:
  • Northern Mariana Islands Democratic caucuses are won by Sanders.
  • The Guam Republican Convention directly holds the territory's national delegate selection process, officially pledging all of its delegates to Trump.
  • Georgia moves its primaries from March 24 to May 19 after a public health emergency is declared in the state due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• March 15:
  • The Northern Mariana Islands Republican caucuses select national delegates bound to Trump.
  • Eleventh Democratic debate, CNN studios in Washington, D.C.
• March 16:
  • After a 13-day delay in counting all the mail-in ballots, Biden is declared the winner of the Washington Democratic primary, narrowly beating Sanders by 21,000 out of over 2 million votes.
  • Kentucky moves its primaries from May 19 to June 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • After an Ohio judge denies Governor Mike DeWine's attempt to move his state's primaries from March 17 to June because of the COVID-19 pandemic, DeWine and Ohio's health department still orders all polling places to remain closed.
• March 17:
  • The Ohio Supreme Court allows DeWine to proceed with postponing their primaries to June 2.
  • Maryland becomes the fifth state to postpone its primaries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving them from April 28 to June 2.
  • The Democratic National Committee calls for more states to allow voting-by-mail to cut down the number of postponed races.
  • Democratic primaries: Biden wins all three states: Arizona, Florida, Illinois
  • Republican primaries: Trump wins both Florida and Illinois, clinching enough delegates to officially become the Republican Party's presumptive nominee.
• March 18:
  • With Trump clinching enough Republican delegates, Weld drops out of the race.
  • American Samoa Republican caucuses
  • The North Dakota Republican Party cancels its state convention and formal presidential selection meeting, originally scheduled for March 27–29, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The party states it will schedule an alternate mail-only option.
• March 19:
  • Gabbard drops out of the Democratic race and endorses Biden.
  • Connecticut postpone its primaries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving them from April 28 to June 2.
• March 20:
  • Indiana moves its primaries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, postponing them from May 5 to June 2.
  • The April 4 in-person voting in the Hawaii Democratic primary is canceled in favor of mail-in voting.
• March 21: The Puerto Rico Democratic primary is moved from March 29 to April 26 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• March 22: The April 4 in-person voting in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses is canceled in favor of mail-in voting. The deadline is extended to April 17.
• March 23:
  • The results of the Democrats Abroad primary are announced, with Sanders winning that race.
  • Rhode Island moves its primaries from April 28 to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The April 4 in-person voting in the Alaska Democratic primary is canceled, but mail-in voting is extended to April 10.
• March 24: Delaware moves its primaries from April 28 to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• March 25: After previously moving their primaries from March 17 to June 2, Ohio decides to cancel in-person voting, and moves the deadline for mail-in voting back to April 28.
• March 26: Pennsylvania moves its primaries from April 28 to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• March 27: Mail-in voting in the Hawaii Democratic primary is extended to May 22.
• March 28: New York becomes the last of the originally scheduled April 28 "Acela primary" states to postpone their primaries because of the COVID-19 pandemic, moving theirs to June 23.

April 2020

• April 1: West Virginia moves its primaries from May 12 to June 9 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• April 2:
  • The Democratic National Convention is moved from July 13–16 to August 17–20 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • After previously moving it from March 29 to April 26, the Puerto Rico Democratic primary is put on indefinite hold.
• April 4: Voting begins in the U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses
• April 5: Lincoln Chafee drops out of the Libertarian race.
• April 6: The Wisconsin Supreme Court denies Governor Tony Evers's attempt to move his state's primaries from April 7 to June because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court overturns a U.S. District Court's order that would have extended Wisconsin's absentee voting deadline to April 13. The U.S Supreme Court however still allows the district court's ruling to delay the primary results to April 13.
• April 7: The Wisconsin primaries are held, with the results delayed to April 13 per the district court's ruling.
• April 8:
  • Sanders suspends his campaign, acknowledging that his "path toward victory is virtually impossible", effectively making Biden the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee. Sanders also announces that he is still staying on the ballot in the remaining primaries, collecting as many national convention delegates as he can so they can significantly influence the Democratic Party's platform.
  • New Jersey moves its primaries from June 2 to July 7 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• April 9: After previously moving it from April 24 to May 19 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia moves its primaries further to June 9.
• April 10: Mail-in voting ends in the Alaska Democratic primary. Biden is declared the winner.
• April 13:
  • Sanders gives his endorsement to Biden in a livestream broadcast.
  • The results of the Wisconsin primaries are announced. Trump had run unopposed in the Republican primary. Biden is declared the winner in the Wisconsin Democratic primary.
• April 14:
  • Trump pledges to halt U.S. funding to the WHO while reviewing its role in "severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus."
  • After previously moving it from April 4 to June 20 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisiana moves its primaries further to July 11.
• April 17:
  • After previously moving it from April 28 to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut moves its primaries further to August 11.
  • Mail-in voting ends in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses. Biden is declared the winner after the results are completed two days later.
• April 27: After previously being moved from April 28 to June 23 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Democratic primary is canceled altogether. New York State election officials say that Biden is the only viable candidate left in the race, and canceling it would save the state millions of dollars from printing the extra sheet on the ballot.
• April 28:
  • Mail-in voting ends in the Ohio primaries. Trump had run unopposed in the Republican primary. Biden is declared the winner in the Ohio Democratic primary.
  • United States congressman Justin Amash announces a presidential exploratory committee for the Libertarian nomination.
• April 30: Biden announces that his vice presidential selection committee will consist of former senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles, former counsel to the vice president Cynthia Hogan, and representative Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware.

May 2020

Protesters gather in downtown Minneapolis over the killing of George Floyd, May 28, 2020

• May 2: Biden wins the Kansas Democratic primary.
• May 5: A U.S. District judge rules that the New York Democratic primary must proceed on June 23.
• May 7:
  • After previously moving it from April 28 to June 2 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Delaware moves its primaries further to July 7.
  • The Department of Justice files a motion to dismiss United States v. Flynn and not pursue charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn for making false statements to the FBI regarding his communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the Trumo presidential transition.
• May 12:
  • Emmet G. Sullivan, the US District judge presiding over United States v. Flynn, places a hold on the DOJ's move to drop charges against Flynn, and then appoints attorney John Gleeson as an amicus curiae to prepare an argument against dismissal.
  • In Nebraska, Trump wins that state's Republican primary and Biden wins the Nebraska Democratic primary.
• May 19:
  • Flynn's attorney files an emergency petition for a writ of mandamus in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, asking to overturn Judge Sullivan's recent orders and that he be removed from presiding over United States v. Flynn.
  • In Oregon, Trump wins that state's Republican primary and Biden wins the Oregon Democratic primary.
• May 21: After being postponed indefinitely, the 2020 Puerto Rico Democratic primary is rescheduled for July 12.
• May 22: Mail-in voting ends in the Hawaii Democratic primary. Biden is declared the winner.
• May 22–25: The 2020 Libertarian National Convention is held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jo Jorgensen is officially chosen as the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee, and Spike Cohen becomes the party's vice presidential nominee.
• May 25–26: Forty-six-year old black man George Floyd dies in Minneapolis after white police officer Derek Chauvin kneels on Floyd's neck for approximately nine minutes while Floyd is handcuffed face down in the street. His death is recorded and shared live by bystanders. The following day, peaceful protests and violent riots begin to erupt across the country and globally.
• May 30: Voting ends in the U.S. Virgin Islands Republican caucuses, with Trump winning the race.
• May 31: Blaming "far-left extremist" groups for inciting and organizing the violent riots across the country during the Floyd protests, Trump announces that he plans to designate one of them, Antifa, as a terrorist organization. Various government and non-government officials respond by claiming that designating such domestic organizations as terrorist groups would be prohibited under both federal law and the First Amendment due to concerns pertaining to the latter's freedom of speech and freedom of assembly rights.

June 2020

The Donald Trump photo-op at St. John's Church, June 1, 2020

• June 1:
  • In Philadelphia, Biden makes his first campaign stop in months after the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, discussing race relations and the Floyd killing.
  • Trump threatens to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy the U.S. military in response to the unrest.
  • Police and National Guard troops forcefully clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square and surrounding streets in Washington, D.C., so Trump can walk from the White House to the St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo-op outside the historic church, which burned during the Floyd protests during the previous night. The forceful clearing of the protesters from the area is widely condemned as excessive and an affront to the freedom of assembly clause of the First Amendment.
• June 2:
  • The Republican National Convention is pulled out of Charlotte, North Carolina, on grounds that the state's plan to continue its COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns through August would prevent a full-scale convention.
  • Democratic primaries: Biden wins all eight contests to come within a few dozen delegates of clinching the nomination: District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Dakota
  • Republican primaries: Trump wins all eight contests: District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota
• June 3: In a piece published by The Atlantic, former defense secretary Jim Mattis criticizes Trump's response to the George Floyd protests, and states that he became "angry and appalled" about the events leading up to the violent treatment of noncombative protesters near the White House for the purpose of Trump's photo-op at St. John's Church.
• June 5: The Republican Party of Puerto Rico holds an online vote of party leaders in lieu of an actual primary, awarding all 23 of its pledged delegates Trump.
• June 6: Biden wins both Democratic caucuses in Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, clinching enough delegates to officially become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee.
• June 9:
  • Biden wins both Democratic primaries in Georgia and West Virginia.
  • Trump wins both Republican primaries in Georgia and West Virginia.
• June 10: Trump's presidential campaign demands that CNN withdraw and apologize for its latest opinion poll showing Biden leading by 14 points, claiming it was "designed to mislead American voters through a biased questionnaire and skewed sampling". CNN vice-president David Vigilante defends its poll methodology and rejects the allegations, stating that "this is the first time in its 40-year history that CNN had been threatened with legal action because an American politician or campaign did not like CNN's polling results".
• June 11: The Republican National Committee announces that Jacksonville, Florida will be the new host city of the Republican National Convention. Due to contractual obligations, official convention business will still be conducted in Charlotte.
• June 15: Louis DeJoy is sworn in as postmaster general. Upon taking office he immediately begins taking measures to reduce costs, such as banning the use of overtime and extra trips to deliver mail.
• June 17: Biden addresses a small group of socially distant reporters and local lawmakers during an in-person campaign event in Darby, Pennsylvania.
• June 18: Trump begins pushing for four debates against Biden, rather than just the three originally scheduled in the fall, citing an expected surge in mail and absentee voting because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• June 20: At the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump held his first public rally since the wider activation of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally planned for June 19 but was moved because it coincided with Juneteenth, which was deemed insensitive due to both the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and the Floyd killing. The total attendance of the rally was lower than was expected; roughly a week prior, Trump claimed that "almost one million" people had requested tickets. However, Tulsa's fire department and the Trump campaign each reported crowd estimates of 6,200 and 12,000, respectively — less than the arena's capacity of around 19,000. It was reported that TikTok users and members of the K-pop fandom had credited themselves with falsely requesting tickets for the rally, as part of a coordinated effort to "troll" Trump. Trump's campaign advisors blamed the media for repeatedly warning people away because of both COVID-19 and protesters. Fox News on the other hand claimed that its coverage of the rally was its highest Saturday primetime viewership in network history, drawing 7.7 million viewers.
• June 22: Biden rejects Trump's request for a fourth debate, committing to only the three originally scheduled in the fall.

Trump speaking at the Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, June 23, 2020

• June 23:
  • Trump visits Arizona, participating in a roundtable discussion with border and law enforcement officials in Yuma before holding a rally with Students for Trump at Dream City Church in Phoenix.
  • Biden holds a virtual fundraiser with Obama, raising over $7 million.
  • Biden wins both Democratic primaries in Kentucky and New York
  • Trump wins the Kentucky Republican primary
• June 24:
  • A three-member D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel grants Flynn's petition for a writ of mandamus, ordering Judge Sullivan to dismiss United States v. Flynn.
  • The Democratic National Committee announces that the Democratic National Convention will be scaled back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with most events taking place instead via videoconferencing. With all the party's state delegations being asked to participate virtually, the venue will be moved from the Fiserv Forum to the smaller Wisconsin Center. Biden still plans to accept the party's nomination in person instead of also staying home.
• June 30: Biden announces that he does not plan to hold anymore campaign rallies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

July 2020

Trump speaks at a Mount Rushmore fireworks celebrations event, July 3, 2020

Kanye West (left) at his presidential campaign rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, July 19, 2020

• July 4: Rapper Kanye West announces an independent campaign for president and picks preacher Michelle Tidball as his running mate. However, he does not officially file to run. Various political pundits speculate that his presidential run is instead merely a publicity stunt to promote his upcoming album.
• July 6: The United States Supreme Court delivers its unanimous opinions in both Chiafalo v. Washington and Colorado Department of State v. Baca, ruling that states are free to enforce laws that punish faithless electors.
• July 7:
  • Trump formally notifies the United Nations of his intent to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO.
  • Biden wins both Democratic primaries in Delaware and New Jersey.
  • Trump wins both Republican primaries in Delaware and New Jersey.
• July 9:
  • The United States Supreme Court delivers its decisions in both Trump v. Vance and Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP regarding attempts by the Manhattan district attorney and the House of Representatives, respectively, to subpoena Trump's tax records. In both rulings, the Court orders each case to be sent back to the lower courts for further review, making it unlikely that the president's taxes would be released before the election.
  • Judge Sullivan files a petition asking the enitre D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the United States v. Flynn case en banc.
• July 9–12: The 2020 Green National Convention is held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Howie Hawkins is officially nominated as the Green Party's presidential nominee and Angela Walker becomes the party's vice presidential nominee.
• July 11: In Louisiana, Trump wins that state's Republican primary and Biden wins the Louisiana Democratic Primary.
• July 12:
  • Biden wins the Puerto Rico Democratic primary.
  • Green Party candidate Dario Hunter announces an independent run for the presidency, citing irregularities and undemocratic processes throughout the Green Party presidential primary.
• July 14: The Postal Service warns multiple states that the service would not be able to meet the states' deadlines for requesting and casting last-minute absentee ballots. This assessment is based on the several cost-cutting measures taken by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy since taking office on June 15, such as banning overtime and extra trips to deliver mail, and dismantling and removing hundreds of high-speed mail sorting machines from postal centers.
• July 15:
  • Official paperwork is filed with the Federal Election Commission for Kanye West, under the "BDY Party" affiliation amid claims that he is preparing to drop out.
  • Struggling in the latest polls largely due to his responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Floyd protests, Trump promotes former deputy campaign manager Bill Stepien to campaign manager, replacing Brad Parscale.
• July 19: Kanye West holds his inaugural rally in North Charleston, South Carolina.
• July 23: Trump and the Republican National Committee cancel the 2020 Republican National Convention events scheduled for August 25 to 27 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, citing the spike in COVID-19 cases in Florida. The events scheduled for August 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina, primarily consisting of the official convention business, will still go on as planned.
• July 27:
  • The Hill publishes a report about how both the Biden and Trump campaigns are each assembling armies of lawyers and building legal war chests should the election become contested.
  • Due to COVID-19 concerns, the first presidential debate on September 29 is moved from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
• July 28: Politico publishes then later retracts a report claiming that Biden will announce on August 1 that Kamala Harris will be his vice-presidential running mate. The publication states that the piece was merely placeholder text that was inadvertently published.
• July 30:
  • With many states pushing for mail-in voting due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump suggests delaying the election on grounds of the reliability problems with postal voting, claiming that there will be extensive voting fraud. Experts have argued that, for the election to be legally delayed, such a decision must be taken by the Congress.
  • The Trump campaign temporarily suspends TV advertising pending "a review and fine-tuning of the campaign's strategy". The move comes after the July 15 replacement of Parscale with Stepien as campaign manager, and with Biden still leading in the polls.

August 2020

The Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the official site of the Democratic National Convention

The Chase Center on the Riverfront (background) in Wilmington, Delaware, the site where Biden and Harris made their respective acceptance speeches

The Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, the site of official business of the Republican National Convention

The Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., the primary venue of the nightly events of the Republican National Convention

A stage being assembled in front of the southern side of the White House on August 23, where Trump would make his acceptance speech four days later

• August 1:
  • Although Biden had previously announced that he planned to decide his vice presidential candidate during the first week of August, various media outlets report that he might delay it until the week of August 10.
  • The Republican National Committee announces that the Republican Convention in late August in Charlotte will be closed to the press, citing the social distancing rules imposed by the North Carolina government due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Associated Press writer Zeke Miller, in his capacity as the head of the White House Correspondents' Association, called this move as an "ill-advised decision".
• August 3: Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. submits a new federal court filing under the parameters set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court's July 9 ruling in Trump v. Vance. In addition to urging the federal court to toss out Trump's new legal efforts to prevent the release of his tax returns, Vance also argues that Trump could be investigated for possible insurance and bank fraud.
• August 3–15: Delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention conduct official convention business virtually, primarily online voting of both the party's platform and the formal presidential nomination. They are expected to officially choose Biden for their presidential nominee and his selection for the party's vice presidential nominee.
• August 5:
  • The Nation publishes a piece by James Zogby, a former member of the Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee, who reports that a majority of Sanders delegates "felt left out" during the planning of the virtual events of Democratic National Convention, and that the process was "lacking in transparency and input".
  • The Trump campaign files a lawsuit to stop Nevada from its plan to conduct the November election almost entirely by main-in voting, claiming, among others, the vote counting will be delayed beyond a reasonable time frame.
  • Biden announces that he will participate remotely in the Democratic National Convention instead of traveling in person to Milwaukee.
  • Trump announces that he will participate remotely in the Republican National Convention instead of traveling in person to Charlotte. He also suggests that he will make his nomination acceptance speech at the White House for security reasons. Senate Republican whip John Thune questions whether making this particular speech at the White House is still legal under the Hatch Act of 1939, which prohibits employees in the executive branch from engaging in some forms of political activity. Pelosi also criticizes, saying that it would "degrade" the White House.
• August 6:
  • New York State attorney general Letitia James files a civil lawsuit against the National Rifle Association alleging fraud, financial misconduct, and misuse of charitable funds by its CEO Wayne LaPierre and some of its other executives. Washington, D.C., attorney general Karl Racine also files a similar lawsuit. With the lawsuits calling for the dissolution of the NRA, some Democratic strategists fear that this could energize Trump supporters, particularly in the battleground states.
  • A New York judge denies Trump's bid to delay a defamation suit filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump sexually assaulted her in the mid-1990s.
• August 7: While the Biden campaign continues to state that the unveiling of his vice presidential pick is still "to be announced" before the Democratic National Convention starts in ten days, over 300 convention delegates sign a statement urging him to select House representative Karen Bass of California "to help unify our party and move our nation forward".
• August 10: In an op-ed piece published by the San Francisco Examiner, former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown advises Kamala Harris to decline any offer to be Biden's vice presidential pick, arguing that "historically, the vice presidency has often ended up being a dead end" and that she would be more effective becoming U.S. Attorney General.
• August 11:
  • Biden officially selects Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate.
  • The Connecticut primaries, the last of these races delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are held, marking the first time that the presidential primary season extended into August. With delegates to the Democratic National Convention already conducting official convention business virtually since August 3, and the Republican National Convention two weeks away, they essentially become pro forma races. Trump still wins the state's Republican primary and Biden wins the state's Democratic Primary.
• August 12: Biden and Harris make their first official appearance as the presumptive Democratic ticket at Alexis I. duPont High School in Wilmington, Delaware.
• August 13: The House of Representatives votes for an emergency grant of $25 billion to the post office to facilitate the predicted flood of mail ballots. Trump concedes that the post office would need additional funds to handle the additional mail-in voting, but said he would block any additional funding for the post office because he wanted to prevent any increase in balloting by mail.
• August 17: The first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention is held (see also 2020 Democratic National Convention § Schedule), with the theme "We the People". Although officially centered at Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, each night of the convention consists of two hours each night of a mix of pre-recorded segments and live broadcasts from sites across the country. The Wisconsin Center is still used for the convention's broadcast and production, but the emcees host each night from Los Angeles. This first night is highlighted by speeches by governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, former governor John Kasich of Ohio, Sanders, and former first lady Michelle Obama.
• August 18:
  • The Senate Intelligence Committee, after three years, finally issues its report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. The report does find that then-Trump campaign head Paul Manafort shared polling data with Russian/Ukrainian political operative Konstantin Kilimnik. The committee also concludes that it "found absolutely no evidence that then-candidate Donald Trump or his campaign colluded with the Russian government to meddle in the 2016 election."
  • New Jersey becomes the second state after Nevada on August 5 to be sued by the Trump campaign for its plans to only use mail-in voting.
  • With at least 21 states threatening to sue the postal service regarding potential widespread delays in mail-in-voting, DeJoy announces that he would roll back his cost-cutting changes until after the November election. This includes reinstating overtime hours, rolling back service reductions, and halting the removal of mail-sorting machines and collection boxes. However, 95 percent of the mail sorting machines that were planned for removal have already been removed, and according to Pelosi, DeJoy states that he has no intention of replacing them.
  • Based in their online voting during the past weeks, Democratic convention delegates officially adopt the Democratic Party's 2020 platform, consisting of hundreds of liberal policy proposals initially drafted by a joint Biden/Sanders task force, considered the most progressive for any major political party in U.S. history.
  • The second night of the Democratic National Convention, with the theme "Leadership Matters", is highlighted by the formal roll call of states, with Biden officially winning the nomination with 3,558 delegate votes versus Sanders' 1,151, 5 Abstains, and 35 delegates who did not vote. Speakers include senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, former president Bill Clinton, former secretaries of state John Kerry and Colin Powell, and a speech made by Jill Biden from Brandywine High School in Wilmington, Delaware where she had been an English teacher from 1991 to 1993.
• August 19: The third night of the Democratic National Convention, with the theme "A More Perfect Union", is highlighted by speeches by former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Pelosi, Warren, and former president Barack Obama. Harris makes her acceptance speech from the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.
• August 20:
  • Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, U.S. Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, and two others are charged for conspiring to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors though their We Build The Wall fundraising campaign.
  • The fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, with the theme "America's Promise", is highlighted by speeches by Buttigieg and Bloomberg. Biden makes his acceptance speech from the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware.
• August 21: DeJoy testifies before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs regarding his recent cost-cutting changes and subsequent August 18 rollbacks, promising that the Postal Service would fulfill its "sacred duty" to deliver election mail in November.
• August 21–23: The Republican National Committee business meeting, to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• August 23–24: Twenty-nine year old African-American Jacob Blake is shot seven times by Kenosha, Wisconsin police, paralyzing him from the waist down, sparking protests in the city and across the country throughout the night and into the early morning of August 24 (Eastern Time).
• August 24:
  • DeJoy and US Postal Service Board of Governors chairman Robert M. Duncan testify before the House Oversight Committee regarding the Postal Service crisis.
  • The first day of the 2020 Republican National Convention is held (see also 2020 Republican National Convention § Schedule). Only the official convention business is conducted on the first day at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, while the four nights consist of entertainment events anchored at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., with various other events taking place in that city and elsewhere across the country. The morning session in Charlotte is highlighted by 336 delegates (six from each state) participating in-person to formally nominate Trump and Pence. Midway through the roll-call, Trump addresses the crowd in-person, having flown in to Charlotte. The night events, under the theme, "Land of Heroes", is then highlighted by speeches by Trump campaign official Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr., former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
• August 25:
  • A 17-year-old white male allegedly shoots into the Kenosha protests, killing at least two people. He later is arrested at his home in Antioch, Illinois, on charges of first-degree intentional homicide.
  • The second night of the Republican National Convention, with the theme "Land of Promise", features a speech by First Lady Melania Trump from the White House. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appears remotely from the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel, while still on a diplomatic trip, causing the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations under Democrat Joaquin Castro of Texas to open an investigation as to whether Pompeo also violated the Hatch Act. Mary Ann Mendoza, the mother of police officer Brandon Mendoza who was killed in 2014 by an illegal immigrant, was scheduled to speak, but her appearance is canceled after she posts a tweet in support of an anti-semitic conspiracy theory.
  • During his network's coverage of the Republican National Convention, CNN commentator Don Lemon opines on air to his fellow colleague Chris Cuomo that Biden needs to start addressing the Kenosha protests instead of saying silent, noting that it is becoming a top issue in recent polls and accusing Democrats of "ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away". Biden eventually starts to address the protests the following afternoon in a tweet, calling for an end to the violence.
• August 26:
  • The results of a CNBC/Change Research poll taken in the days immediately following the Democratic National Convention are released, indicating that it is unclear whether Biden actually received a convention bounce, and that the race has instead tightened in the swing states. A Reuters/Ipsos poll also indicates no convention bounce for Biden.
  • In the National Basketball Association Bubble at Walt Disney World in Florida, the Milwaukee Bucks boycott their playoff game against the Orlando Magic in protest of the Blake shooting. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association later announce that they are postponing all NBA games for the day. This sparks an athlete boycott in which several Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games are also postponed after players in those two leagues also decide not to play.
  • The third night of the Republican National Convention, with the theme "Land of Opportunity", features Pence's acceptance speech from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Former football star Jack Brewer also makes a speech despite being accused of insider trading.
• August 27:
  • Pelosi urges Biden to skip the presidential debates, claiming that Trump will "probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency ... [and] belittle what the debates are supposed to be about". Biden responds by saying that he wants to go ahead and participate so that he can "be a fact-checker on the floor while I'm debating [Trump]".
  • The National Hockey League announces the postponement of their games for August 27 and 28 after its players decide not to play because of the Blake shooting. All NBA and seven MLB games originally scheduled for this day are also postponed as those leagues' players continue to sit out in protest for a second consecutive day.
  • The fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention, with the theme "Land of Greatness", features Trump's acceptance speech from the White House.
• August 28:
  • The House Foreign Affairs Committee announces contempt proceedings against Pompeo for his "ongoing refusal to comply" with congressional subpoenas and "his transparently political misuse of Department resources" dating all the way back to at least the Trump impeachment inquiry.
  • Trump holds a rally in Londonderry, New Hampshire.
• August 29: During the Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, clashes erupt between Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters. A member of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group, later identified as Aaron Danielson, ends up being shot and killed, and several others arrested.
• August 31:
  • The results of an Emerson College poll taken in the days following the Republican National Convention are released, indicating Biden's lead over Trump has decreased to just within the margin of error.
  • In its en banc hearing, the entire D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rules to overturn the court's three-member panel's previous June 24 decision, rejecting Flynn's request to dismiss the charges against him in United States v. Flynn.
  • Biden and Trump publicly accuse each over the recent violence during the Floyd protests in Portland, Oregon, with, among other traded barbs, Trump claiming that Biden "is unwilling to lead", and Biden claiming Trump is "rooting for chaos and violence".

September 2020

Trump (left) tours the remains of a store destroyed during the Kenosha protests during his September 1, 2020, Kenosha, Wisconsin visit

• September 1:
  • Trump tours the damaged sites of the Kenosha protests, meeting with owners of damaged businesses and participating in a round table discussion on community safety. Wisconsin governor Tony Evers, Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, and the city's NAACP branch president had discouraged the trip, each respectively stating that his presence would only hinder efforts to "overcome division", the trip was "ill advised", and it would "only inflame tensions".
  • In an interview published by Axios, the Democratic data and analytics firm Hawkfish warns that mail-in voting will likely delay the actual election results by days or even weeks. The firm states that if significantly more Biden supporters vote by mail than Trump supporters due to COVID-19 or other concerns, then any results reported on just election night may falsely skew towards a potential Trump landslide victory.
  • In the second round of Trump v. Vance, a panel of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals grants Trump's request to delay Manhattan district attorney Vance from accessing his tax returns. Oral arguments in the case were also delayed to September 25.
• September 3:
  • Citing four anonymous sources, The Atlantic publishes an article by its editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg claiming that Trump did not want to visit France's Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial in 2018 to honor U.S. troops buried there because he through they were "losers" and "suckers". Trump denies these allegations, saying, "It is a disgraceful situation by a magazine that's a terrible magazine."
  • Biden visits the sites of the Kenosha protests, against the wishes of the local NAACP president and Kenosha County Executive. During this first campaign visit to Wisconsin, Biden meets with Jacob Blake's family and holds a community meeting.
  • Trump holds a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
• September 4: Various North Carolina counties start to mail out absentee ballots to voters, arguably marking the official start of the general election despite early voting in the state not officially beginning for another six weeks.
• Early September: The Senate Judiciary Committee under Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina plans to call in former FBI director James Comey, former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, and former director of national intelligence James Clapper to testify into their roles in the Russia investigations, specifically to probe whether they abused the FISA process to surveil Trump campaign officials during Crossfire Hurricane.
• September 20: Early voting begins in several states, roughly 45 days before the election.
• September 29: The first presidential debate, at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

October 2020

See also: October surprise and 2020 United States presidential debates

• October 7: The only vice presidential debate, at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• October 15: The second presidential debate, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.
• October 22: The third presidential debate, at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

November 2020

The 2020 Electoral College map, with the number of electoral votes for each state and Washington DC

• November 3: Election Day, (all times given are in Eastern Standard Time (EST), or UTC−05:00)
  • 12:00 a.m. to 12:30 a.m: New Hampshire midnight voting
  • Approximately 1:30 a.m: The Guam straw poll, held in the Chamorro time zone (UTC+10:00), which generally receives national media attention as an indicator of how the rest of the country may likely vote.
  • 6 a.m. to noon Polls open across the 50 states, with the last being Hawaii at 12 p.m. EST/7 a.m. AHST
  • 6:00 p.m: Polls close in the Eastern Time Zone sections of Indiana and Kentucky
  • 7:00 p.m: Polls close in:
    • Selected areas of New Hampshire
    • The Eastern Time Zone sections of Florida
    • The Central Time Zone sections of Indiana and Kentucky
    • All of Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, and Vermont
  • 7:30 p.m: Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia
  • 8:00 p.m: Polls close in:
    • Selected areas of North Dakota
    • The remaining areas of New Hampshire
    • The Eastern Time Zone sections of Michigan
    • The Central Time Zone sections of Florida, Kansas, South Dakota, and Texas
    • All of Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C.
  • 8:30 p.m: Polls close in Arkansas
  • 9:00 p.m: Polls close in:
    • The remaining areas of North Dakota
    • The Central Time Zone sections of Michigan
    • The Mountain Time Zone sections of Kansas, South Dakota, and Texas
    • All of Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, and Wyoming
  • 10:00 p.m: Polls close in:
    • The Mountain Time Zone sections of Idaho and Oregon
    • All of Iowa, Montana, Nevada, Utah
  • 11:00 p.m: Polls close in:
    • The Pacific Time Zone sections of Idaho and Oregon
    • All of California, Hawaii, and Washington
• November 4:
  • 12:00 a.m: Polls close in the Alaska Time Zone sections of Alaska
  • 1:00 a.m: Polls close in the Hawaii–Aleutian Zone sections of Alaska

December 2020

• December 14: The electors (members) of the Electoral College meet in their respective state capitals (electors for the District of Columbia meet within the district) to formally vote for the president and vice president.

2021

• January 6: Electoral votes formally counted before a joint session of Congress; the president of the Senate formally announces the electoral result
• January 20: Inauguration Day

Election campaign candidate participation timeline

Candidate announcement and, if applicable, withdrawal dates are as follows:

Political party
	Alliance Party
	American Solidarity Party
	Birthday Party
	Bread and Roses Party
	Constitution Party
	Democratic Party
	Green Party
	Independent
	Libertarian Party
	Progressive Party
	Prohibition Party
	Reform Party
	Republican Party
	Party for Socialism and Liberation
	Socialist Action
	Socialist Equality Party
	Socialist Workers Party
	Veterans Party of America
	Exploratory committee
Events
	Iowa caucuses
	Super Tuesday
	COVID-19 pandemic emergency declaration
	Election Day
	Inauguration Day