The New York State Legislature has passed a bill to shift the 2024 presidential primary election to April 2nd. This move represents a significant change from the 2020 Democratic primary, which took place on June 23rd. No Republican primary was held in New York that year.

The legislation, spearheaded by Democratic leaders in both the Senate and Assembly, received bipartisan support and was successfully passed late Thursday.

This shift to an earlier primary date could potentially increase New York's influence in the presidential nominating process. According to Democratic Party regulations, New York can send a larger delegation to the national convention if two adjacent states hold their primaries on the same date. Both Pennsylvania and Connecticut are considering setting their presidential primaries for April 2nd as well. However, the Connecticut State Senate recently adjourned without voting on the proposed date change.

The bill now awaits Governor Kathy Hochul's signature to become law.