Democrats put South Carolina first in 2028 presidential race calendar

Democrats approved a 2028 presidential primary calendar that puts South Carolina first and Nevada second, shifting the early contest map toward states with larger Black and Latino electorates. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia also landed in the early window, but Iowa was left out of the top tier of the Democratic nominating fight.

The order gives South Carolina far more than bragging rights. It hands the state’s Black voters a louder say in the first test of the race and gives Latino voters in Nevada, New Mexico and Virginia more immediate leverage over who survives the opening round. NBC News described the change as a swap that replaces two heavily white states at the top of the calendar with states that are more diverse, and party leaders framed the move as an effort to make the nominating process better reflect the coalition Democrats need in a presidential year.

The politics behind the calendar reach beyond the first primary date. Key Democrats have tied the South Carolina push to the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act, treating the state as a signal that Black voters should not be sidelined in the party’s most important decision. Five Southern Democratic chairs also backed South Carolina to lead the 2028 calendar, underscoring how much regional party leadership has shifted toward the Palmetto State.

The decision follows a broader rewrite of the party’s nominating map. Democrats already revamped the 2024 calendar to put South Carolina first and increase Black voters’ influence, and the new 2028 order extends that strategy by placing even more emphasis on states where candidates must build multiracial coalitions early. That favors candidates with strong ties to the South, stronger outreach to Black church networks and a real ground game among Latino communities, while making it harder for candidates who rely on a traditional Iowa-New Hampshire strategy to set the pace.

South Carolina Democrats welcomed the move. Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said in an October 27, 2025 statement that the committee’s action on the 2028 nominating calendar and early-states selection process was important for the state. But the new map has also exposed intraparty friction, including a feud between Black and Latino Democrats over the calendar and criticism from some progressives unhappy with the schedule.