New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a Bill setting the state’s presidential primary for April 2, potentially putting former president Donald Trump on the ballot as he stands trial in Manhattan for a hush-money criminal case.
The new primary date could add a new layer to an increasingly chaotic calendar for Mr Trump next year, as the Republican frontrunner attempts to navigate court cases in multiple states while he seeks a return to the White House.
His New York trial is set to begin on March 25, and though the date could change, it may set up an extraordinary scenario in which the former president might find himself in court as Republican voters in the state are picking their next presidential candidate.
Mr Trump became the first former US president in history to face criminal charges when he was indicted this year on charges in New York state stemming from hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters. He has pleaded not guilty.
Since then, Mr Trump has been indicted in a handful of other cases, including a federal classified documents case in Florida, a federal elections interference case in Washington and an election subversion case in Georgia.
He also faces two civil trials in New York, one alleging he fraudulently misstated the value of assets and another regarding the alleged defamation of a writer who accused Mr Trump of sexually assaulting her in the mid-1990s.
Gov Hochul, a Democrat, signed the Bill setting the new April 2 primary date after the Democrat-controlled legislature approved it this summer.
Primary elections are set for March 19 in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Kansas and Arizona. Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Wednesday approved a Bill to move their state’s primary to March 19 as well, though the proposal still requires passage in the state House of Representatives.
Mr Trump is so far leading a pack of Republican presidential hopefuls seeking the Republican nomination.
He began an autumn push on Wednesday to lock in thousands of Republican caucus-goers in early-voting Iowa, where the former president faces sky-high expectations in his campaign for a White House comeback.
Having campaigned far less often in Iowa than his 2024 rivals, Mr Trump was making his first of five Iowa visits planned through to the end of October, aimed at converting what polls in Iowa show as a commanding lead among committed supporters and volunteers.
“In less than four months from now, we’re going to win the Iowa caucuses in a historic landslide,” Mr Trump predicted as he addressed a crowd of more than 1,000 people in the town of Maquoketa.
In 2016 Mr Trump finished a close second to Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Supporters from across north-east Iowa lined up outside the expo building at the Jackson County fairgrounds hours before Mr Trump’s arrival. His campaign aimed to collect signed cards from the crowd pledging to back him in the January 15 caucuses.
Mr Trump addressed his 2016 loss at the start of his speech, blaming his previous campaign team.
“They didn’t do the caucus thing too well and I learned a lot,” Mr Trump acknowledged, adding: “I don’t like second, though.”
Mr Trump has visited Iowa seven times this year, headlining policy and political events.
“We’re not taking anything for granted. We’re going to fight for every vote. You’re going to see that in every event,” said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung.
