Topline
The first Democratic primaries in the next presidential election are likely to be held in South Carolina, the Democratic National Committee signed Friday, pushing Nevada and New Hampshire primaries to later in the season and giving southern Black voters the chance to shape the race from the outset.
Demeka Kimpson votes at polling location in St. Matthews, South Carolina during the South Carolina Democratic Primary on Feb. 3, 2024.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The decision by the DNC’s rules committee still needs to be approved by the full body later this summer but, on Friday, South Carolina was informally selected as the leader of the 2028 primary season for the Democrats.
South Carolina held the first Democratic presidential primary in 2024, as well, which marked the first time in decades Iowa and New Hampshire were snubbed in opening the party’s nominating process.
Moving South Carolina to the front of the line is a result of the party’s push to elevate the electorate of a more diverse state and will allow candidates to appeal to Black voters—which make up a large part of South Carolina’s Democratic primary electorate—before competing elsewhere.
South Carolina was in tough competition with Nevada, a swing state where a large contingency of Latinos cast their vote, for the first primary, but committee members argued that Black Democrats are the party’s most loyal voting bloc and ultimately chose the southern state.
In addition to South Carolina, the DNC rules committee chose Nevada, New Hampshire, Michigan, New Mexico and Virginia as the six states to host primaries before Super Tuesday.
This is the first time New Mexico and Virginia have been added to the early window.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
“When South Carolina goes first… the Deep South goes first, Black voters go first,” South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain said earlier this week. “Black voters are the backbone of this party, and so we should continue to elevate Black voters’ role in the process, not push it further back.”
BIG NUMBER
76.5%. That’s the percentage of South Carolina’s early voters in the 2024 Democratic primary who were Black. Roughly 25% of South Carolina residents are Black and, historically, Black voters have made up more than half of South Carolina Democratic primary voters.
what to watch for
Which states the Republicans choose. The Republican National Committee has not announced its official 2028 presidential nominating calendar yet, but party leaders are widely expected to keep the traditional early-state lineup of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.
Key background
The order in which states vote in the presidential primary process is important for fundraising, media attention and political momentum that can often shape the rest of the race and can quickly elevate—or sink—a campaign. In the case of the Democrats, a first primary in South Carolina could give an advantage to candidates with strong ties to southern or Black voters. Both parties choose their early voting states based on what electorates they believe will test their candidates in a way that reflects the broader nation and predicts how its priorities will play with various demographics. Democrats say their early-state lineup is designed to test presidential candidates with a racially and geographically diverse coalition—including Black, Latino, union and Midwestern voters—that they think will reflect the voters needed to win a general election. Republicans have said the traditional sequence, starting with Iowa, gives lesser-known candidates a chance to build support through on-the-ground campaigning and face-to-face voter engagement before larger states vote.