Democrats pick South Carolina to lead 2028 primary calendar, edging Nevada in close committee vote

The committee vote

On Friday, the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee met in Washington and voted to make South Carolina the first state to vote in the 2028 presidential primary. The 49-member panel gave South Carolina 26 votes, Nevada 19, and New Hampshire 4. The decision must be ratified by the full DNC at a meeting next month. Co-chairs Minyon Moore and James Roosevelt Jr. called the proposal "a rigorous, fair, and efficient calendar that will win Democrats back the White House in 2028."

A rigorous, fair, and efficient calendar that will win Democrats back the White House in 2028.

The racial calculus

The choice elevates a state where Black voters make up a large share of the Democratic electorate. Supporters argued that the party's most loyal constituency deserved the first say. Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, told the committee, "The South is not the past, it is the future." The Rev. Al Sharpton warned that moving South Carolina back would be "a slap in the face to the very voters who've kept this party alive." Nevada's backers countered that the state's large Latino and working-class populations were equally vital. Daniele Monroe-Moreno, Nevada's Democratic chair, noted Donald Trump's 2024 win there and said her state offered the ideal racial mix. Some committee members also cited the Supreme Court's recent restriction of the Voting Rights Act as a reason to strengthen Black voting power in the South.

If Nevada gets elevated over South Carolina, it would be because of their Latino vote. So you would then be telling Black voters that you matter less than brown voters.

The proposed calendar

Under the preliminary plan, South Carolina would hold its primary on 22 January 2028. Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would follow, in that order, though the sequence beyond the first state is not yet final and up to two more states could be added before Super Tuesday in early March. The committee also debated logistics: Stuart Appelbaum, a DNC member, said he backed South Carolina partly because Nevada allows ballots to be counted after primary day, which he saw as a drawback. A dozen states had applied for early slots, and the party set rules requiring at least one state from each of four regions, with a bonus fifth state from any region; on Friday the committee moved to add a sixth.

Lobbying and divisions

The fight exposed rifts along racial, geographic and ideological lines. Black Democrats squared off against Latino Democrats, progressives against moderates, and Southerners against Southwestern and Northeastern members. South Carolina's delegation argued that the state's small size and cheap media market would let candidates compete without massive budgets. James Clyburn, the longtime congressman, said the state has "four distinct cultures" and demographics that mirror the party's general-election needs. Maria Cardona, a veteran DNC member who supported Nevada, said the committee was "shaping the proving ground for the next Democratic nominee."

We have a record that all of us can point to and be proud of. It's a relatively small state. It has four distinct cultures, a relatively cheap media market, and demographics that reflect what our voter population needs to be in order for our candidates to be successful in the general election.

What comes next

The full DNC will vote on the calendar in August. If ratified, the 2028 primary season will open in the South for the second consecutive cycle, a shift from decades when Iowa and New Hampshire went first. The early Southern contest could benefit potential candidates with strong Black support, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, who is considering another presidential run. Former President Joe Biden had put South Carolina first in 2024 after the state revived his 2020 campaign, and the state lobbied aggressively to keep its slot.