Key dates in the 2024 US presidential race

(Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump leads a pack of seven Republican candidates jostling to be their party's presidential nominee for the 2024 election, while President Joe Biden faces little opposition in the Democratic Party.

Here is a timeline of events related to the Nov. 5, 2024, election between now and Inauguration Day in January 2025.

2023  

- Nov. 30: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is seen as a future presidential candidate, will debate each other on Fox News.

- Dec. 6: The fourth Republican debate will take place in Alabama and qualification will be subject to stricter rules, including a 6% polling minimum.

2024

- Jan. 15: Republicans in Iowa hold their nominating contest, known as caucuses, the first of this election cycle. Caucuses are private meetings organized at the county, precinct or district level where participants divide into groups according to the candidate they support, determining how many delegates each candidate receives. Democrats in Iowa plan to hold their in-person caucuses on the same day but will not release the results until March 5.

- Jan. 23: The date set by New Hampshire for its first-in-the-nation primary, a contest run by state and local governments where participants vote for their preferred candidate in a secret ballot.

This date is in defiance of the Democratic National Committee, which wants the state to hold the primary on Feb. 6, after South Carolina, which had been slated to go first.

New Hampshire Democrats have said they wanted to retain their tradition of being first, prompting Biden's campaign to announce in October that his name will not be on the ballot in the state.

- Jan. 31: Federal Election Commission 2023 year-end filing deadline for candidates to declare the money they have raised and spent.

- Feb. 3: Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.

- Feb. 6: Democratic primary in Nevada.

- Feb. 6: Nikki Haley has filed to take part in the Nevada state-run primary, two days ahead of the Republican Party's caucuses in the state.

- Feb. 8: Nevada caucuses for Republicans.

- Feb. 24: South Carolina Republican primary.

- Feb. 27: Democratic primary in Michigan.

- March 5: Known as Super Tuesday, this is the biggest single day of primaries and often helps whittle down the field of candidates. Both parties hold them in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Democrats in Utah will also vote in their primary while Republicans hold their caucuses in the state. Republicans in Alaska vote in their primary.

- March 12: Primaries held in the states of Georgia, Mississippi and Washington. Republicans in Hawaii hold caucuses.

- March 19: Primaries held in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Ohio.

- June 4: The final states to hold their presidential primaries are scheduled to do so on this date. Some states have not yet set their primary or caucus dates.

- July 15-18: Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where the party formally chooses its candidate.

- Aug. 19-22: Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the party formally chooses its candidate.

- Sep. 16: The date set by the Commission on Presidential Debates for the first presidential debate to take place. It will be held at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas.

- Sep. 25: The date set for the only vice presidential debate, to be held at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania.

- Oct. 1: The date set for the second presidential debate, to be held at Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia.

- Oct. 9: The date set for the third and final presidential debate, to be held at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

- Nov. 5: Election Day

- Later in November: It could take days for the election result to be known, especially if it is close and mail-in ballots are a factor.

2025

- Jan. 6: The vice president presides over the Electoral College vote count at a joint session of Congress, announces the results and declares who has been elected.

Ahead of the count on Jan. 6, 2021, former President Trump lambasted his vice president, Mike Pence, for refusing to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's win. On that day, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by rioters and some people chanted "hang Mike Pence" as they tried to stop the count. Both chambers of Congress later resumed their work and certified Biden's win.

Congress has since passed the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, which requires approval of one-fifth of the House and Senate to consider a challenge to a state's results - a much higher bar than existed before, when any single lawmaker from each chamber had the ability to trigger a challenge.

- Jan. 20: The inauguration of the election winner and their vice president takes place. At this ceremony, the victor is officially sworn in and takes office.

(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Lisa Shumaker)