DNC Panel Recommends South Carolina for First 2028 Primary

The Democratic National Committee's Rules & Bylaws Panel voted on Friday to recommend South Carolina as the first state in the 2028 presidential primary lineup. The decision, which pits Black and Latino communities against each other, is expected to be finalized at a full party meeting in Austin, Texas next month.

The panel backed South Carolina's bid after two days of sometimes acrimonious debate, citing its large Black voter base. Nevada, which has a significant Latino electorate, received 19 votes compared to South Carolina's 26. New Hampshire, usually the first state to vote, came in third with four votes.

The decision is consequential because the first state to vote often helps shape the field of candidates, drawing campaign spending and media attention. South Carolina's pitch centered on its large Black electorate, a crucial national voting bloc for Democrats that President Donald Trump and Republicans have drawn voters from in recent years.

Nevada countered that it is a key presidential battleground state with a large Hispanic population and a strong blue-collar union presence. The committee also decided to add one more state to the early-vote roster, removing Iowa's caucuses from the early-voting calendar for the first time since 1976.

The new early voting states are either presidential battlegrounds or home to hotly contested US Senate races and House districts. They also have substantially more Black and Latino voters than the states that led the 2020 nominating calendar, as well as larger populations of voters in unions or without college degrees.

The decision will shape the opening stage of what is expected to be a crowded Democratic presidential primary. Without an incumbent or clear front-runner, the states that vote first could once again play an outsized role in determining which candidates gain momentum, attract donors and emerge as viable contenders.