What practice involves states holding primaries early in the calendar?

Front-loading is a practice where states schedule their presidential primaries and caucuses earlier in the election calendar. This strategy is adopted to gain greater influence in the nominating process. By holding primaries earlier, states can capitalize on the attention and momentum generated by the candidates at the outset of the campaign, shaping the narrative and potentially impacting the decisions of voters in later states.

When states front-load their primaries, they enhance their importance in the overall nomination process. Candidates often focus their campaigning efforts on these early states in hopes of securing crucial early wins, which can help to build momentum and garner media attention.

In contrast, other terms like superdelegation refer specifically to party leaders and elected officials who hold unpledged delegate statuses, allowing them to support any candidate they choose. Delegate allocation deals with how delegates are assigned to candidates based on primary and caucus results, while primary scheduling refers more generally to the planning and arrangement of the primary election dates rather than the strategic choice of early dates.