The phrase "ahead of the primary" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to events, actions, or preparations that take place before a primary event, such as an election or a primary meeting.
Example: "The candidates are ramping up their campaigns ahead of the primary to secure more votes."
Alternatives: "prior to the primary" or "in advance of the primary".
The Republican candidates were debating on ABC ahead of the primary on Tuesday.
The timing was notable because Mr. Gingrich appeared to be gaining momentum in the state ahead of the primary voting.
Candidates are feverishly appealing to independents ahead of the primary on Tuesday in New Hampshire, where unaffiliated voters are permitted to cast ballots in either party's contest.
Ahead of the primary, about 17,600 people registered at motor vehicle offices without providing citizenship papers, and the rule could apply to 50,000 people in November.
Just as in Iowa, the politicians in New Hampshire will be subject to actions from Occupy protesters as they campaign ahead of the primary vote on Tuesday.
One thorny issue facing Mr. Romney ahead of the primary in Michigan on Tuesday is his opposition to the government bailout of General Motors and Chrysler.
Instead, Graham suggested focusing the polling threshold on Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where all the candidates are campaigning ahead of the primaries and caucuses there at the beginning of next year.
Jeb Bush's ruthless approach to locking up the exclusive services of longstanding Republican political consultants and media professionals far ahead of the primaries doesn't quicken my pulse.
Ahead of the primaries, Tinder helped you narrow down the wider range of candidates, so you could pick between Bernie or Hillary, for example, or Ted Cruz and Donald Trump.
The tea party candidate centered his campaign around immigration ahead of the primaries, accusing Cantor of embracing amnesty and backing an open border.
"I really don't believe that people as a whole want to be represented by someone that got expelled by their peers from the state legislature," Harris told VICE News in an interview ahead of the primaries.
