Democratic 2028 primary calendar puts South Carolina first
A DNC rules panel backed South Carolina as the first 2028 contest, with Nevada and New Hampshire next and Iowa outside the early window.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
South Carolina is set to open the Democratic 2028 primary calendar after the Democratic National Committee’s rules committee voted to recommend giving the state the first presidential nominating contest, NBC News reported.
The plan still has to go before the full DNC at its summer meeting next month. If adopted, it would lock in a new early-state lineup after a monthslong fight among states that wanted the first slot.
What is the Democratic 2028 primary calendar?
Under the rules committee’s recommended schedule, the first six Democratic presidential contests would begin in January and run through late February. South Carolina would vote first on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1 and New Hampshire on Feb. 8.
- Jan. 22: South Carolina
- Feb. 1: Nevada
- Feb. 8: New Hampshire
- Feb. 15: New Mexico
- Feb. 22: Michigan
- Feb. 29: Virginia
The early window is the stretch of contests held before the broader rush of primaries around Super Tuesday. Those states get first crack at testing candidates, shaping momentum and handing out delegates before most voters have cast a ballot.
The proposed order marks a sharp break from the old Democratic kickoff pattern. Iowa, once the home of the first-in-the-nation caucuses, would not be part of the early voting window at all.
The shift also changes the kind of voters candidates will face first. NBC News reported that the new setup moves two heavily white states out of the top two spots and starts the race in states with more diverse electorates, while keeping three of the four traditional early states in the mix.
Why South Carolina went first
The fight over the first contest had grown tense, especially between South Carolina and Nevada. NBC News reported that some Democrats saw the debate as a clash between two central parts of the party’s coalition: Black voters in South Carolina and Latino voters in Nevada.
South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain argued this week in an interview with political commentator Roland Martin that the state’s first-place position gives Black voters a more prominent role in choosing the nominee.
“When South Carolina goes first … the Deep South goes first, Black voters go first,” Spain said. “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.”
Nevada, which also sought the lead-off spot, would instead vote second under the committee’s plan. New Hampshire, another state that pushed to go first, would vote third.
New Hampshire pushes back
New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley criticized the DNC rules committee’s vote and pointed to a state law requiring New Hampshire to hold the first presidential primary.
“Today’s vote shows that many party insiders have learned nothing from 2024,” Buckley said in a statement. “New Hampshire has a proven track record of testing our candidates with a rigorous, fair, and efficient process, yet those qualities did not prevail. This committee’s vote does not change the realities governing New Hampshire’s primary, which are beyond the control of both this committee and our state party.”
The rules committee’s recommendation now heads to the full DNC, where members will decide whether to approve the calendar that would shape the opening stretch of the party’s 2028 presidential race.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.