Super Tuesday, in general, refers informally to one or more Tuesdays early in a United States presidential primary season when the greatest number of states hold primary elections. The Tuesday is in either February or March of a presidential election year. In 2016, Super Tuesday will be on March 1st. More delegates to United States presidential nominating conventions can be won on Super Tuesday than on any other single day of the primary calendar. Candidates seeking the presidency traditionally must do well on this day to secure their party's nomination.
The particular states holding primaries on Super Tuesday have varied from year to year since each U.S. state decides separately. Some years have had more than one Super Tuesday. In 2008, Super Tuesday was February 5 when 24 states held primaries or caucuses on this date, with 52% of all pledged Democratic Party delegates and 49% of the total Republican Party delegates at stake. The phrase "Super Tuesday" has been used to refer to presidential primary elections since at least 1976.[3] It is an unofficial term used by journalists and political pundits. In 2016, this date has been dubbed the "SEC Primary" since many of the participating states are represented in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a U.S. college athletics league.
Since Super Tuesday primaries are typically held in a large number of states from geographically and socially diverse regions of the country, Super Tuesday typically represents a presidential candidate's first test of national electability. Convincing wins in Super Tuesday primaries have usually propelled candidates to their party's nomination. Tuesday is the traditional day for elections in the United States, a prime example being the main election day in the United States which is always held every four years on a Tuesday in November.
