Democrats pick South Carolina to lead 2028 presidential primary calendar

The state edged Nevada to be first, marking a major shift from past primary schedules

Publication date: July 24, 2026

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen, Aaron Pellish, and Lisa Kashinsky

Democrats voted to make South Carolina their first presidential primary state for 2028 — a significant shift from past election cycles, and one that prioritizes a state with a significant Black voting bloc.

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee on Friday scheduled the Palmetto State's primary for Jan. 22 and tentatively set the rest of its early-voting calendar in a surprisingly tense voting session. It will be followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia.

Key Factors Behind the Decision

The decision to choose South Carolina over Nevada, another historic early state in contention for first place, came down in part to concerns about Nevada's ability to process election results quickly. Democrats said they were also looking to strengthen Black voting power in the South after the Supreme Court significantly restricted the Voting Rights Act earlier this year, which triggered redistricting efforts.

Notable Changes to the Calendar

• Michigan bested Iowa in the vote to be the Midwest's early state — a notable departure, as Iowa led the calendar for decades through 2020.
• New Hampshire, which has gone second on the nominating calendar in most past cycles, got bumped back to third place.

Tensions Emerge

The committee voted to add Virginia and New Mexico to host early-state primaries for the first time. But Democrats also proposed having New Mexico vote on Feb. 15, before Michigan, because Democrats there cannot move their primary unilaterally.

That is a major departure from a monthslong, widely agreed-upon plan from the DNC members to give one of the first four early states to the South, Northeast, West, and Midwest. The adopted calendar leaves the Midwest, a crucial region for Democrats' path to victory in 2028, represented fifth, and sparked frustration from a number of Midwestern members of the DNC.

"We had four regions for a reason, and we should be respecting that," Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said during the meeting. "For too long, Democrats flew over the Midwest."

Next Steps

The proposed calendar will be voted on by the full DNC at its August meeting in Austin.

Impact on the 2028 Race

The slate of early nominating states — and their specific order — will significantly shape the path to victory for the field of Democrats eyeing the 2028 presidential nomination. It elevates the South and Southwest, which boasts large populations of Black and Latino voters, and weakens the voices of Democrats from the Northeast and Midwest.

How It Happened

Jane Kleeb, chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said the mid-September deadline to move a state's primary date caught her and other members by surprise — and ultimately ended up costing Michigan an even more prominent placement.

"The rule was passed last year. A lot of us, because we deal with a lot of things, just forgot about it," Kleeb said. "We all thought we had until Jan. 15, which would have given more time to do it."

Dennis Speight, a DNC member from Texas who supported New Mexico getting moved into the early round of states, argued it would have gotten lost if it had been stuck between two larger states.

"We wanted to do mostly smaller states first, and did not want New Mexico, which we spent a lot of time adding to the mix to get to that sixth state, to get lost in that shock," Speight said after the vote. "If we had sandwiched New Mexico in between Michigan and Virginia, given their number of delegates, New Mexico might have gotten lost."

Reassurances for Michigan

DNC chair Ken Martin, who previously led the Minnesota Democratic Party, said he believes Michigan will still play a big role in selecting the next nominee.

"As a proud Midwesterner, I want to make sure that Michigan does not get overlooked," Martin said after the meeting. "When you think of all the other states and the number of delegates that will come out of Michigan and Virginia compared to the other states, there's no way they're going to be overlooked in that process."

And Dingell said after the vote that Michigan's role as the first large state on the calendar would prevent it from being overshadowed, adding that presidential candidates "are going to be there, they're going to have to talk about the issues."