South Carolina was chosen to hold the first Democratic presidential primary in 2028 after a panel voted on the calendar Friday afternoon. The move was pushed by key Democrats to prioritize Black voters, a reliable and influential voting bloc for the party.
The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws panel recommended South Carolina vote first over Nevada, New Hampshire and Iowa, who had each been seeking the first spot. Only six states will be permitted to hold primaries before Super Tuesday on March 7, 2028.
The order recommended by the panel is South Carolina's primary, to be held on Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada and New Hampshire, which are typically early voting states. New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would also be permitted to hold early contests. This calendar will be presented to the full DNC in August, to be voted on and finalized.
South Carolina and the other five states could now hold early nominating contests, a play they have been pushing for since the start of this year.
During the committee meeting Friday some states' party leaders and allies were making cases for why their state should go early.
"The place to start is in the West," said David McDonald, a member of the committee, "The place to start is in Nevada, which offers the best combination of diversity, certainty and opportunity."
McDonald was likely referring to Nevada's diverse population of Latino, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, Native American and working class voters.
Nevada was considered alongside South Carolina because the party also wants to prioritize Latino voters, a voting group that had a significant election impact in 2024 when President Trump won reelection. Because 2028 is an open primary, advocates for these two states argue they give candidates the best chance to be tested by influential voting blocs. At the end, some members raised concerns about Nevada being able to rapidly process election results.
South Carolina previously led the Democratic presidential primary in 2024 — the first time the process didn't start with the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire's primary election. Some members of the panel spoke about the southern state's role in former President Joe Biden's 2020 nomination. Biden picked up his first early state victory in South Carolina that year, before winning other southern states on Super Tuesday.
Nearly one in four registered voters in South Carolina is Black, according to state voting data. According to AP Vote Cast, 83% of Black voters nationwide backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the last presidential election.
"The South is not the past, we are the future," said Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. "And if we are serious about changing this country, Democrats have to start winning in the South."
Spain said Democrats need to demonstrate that they are serious about making the investment in the South, adding that South Carolina has a lot of flexibility for its election dates and two weeks of early voting.
South Carolina allies said that the party should show that Black voters are a priority for them in a year when the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act decision led to multiple states drawing new Congressional boundaries in districts that had previously ruled in violation of that law.
The six states picked to be first together tell the story of who the Democratic party is, said Debbie Dingell, a congresswoman from Michigan, urging members to not read too much into who was given the first slot. Michigan will also vote early in the current plan.
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