South Carolina has been chosen to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, a decision that signals a likely departure from traditional sequencing and elevates states with greater racial diversity. The selection by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will require final approval from the full committee in August.
Both South Carolina and Nevada had vied for the coveted first position in the early calendar. President Joe Biden previously championed South Carolina’s elevation to the front of the 2024 calendar, a move credited with reviving his campaign. South Carolina has historically been the first Southern contest and has been a crucial indicator of a candidate's support among Black voters.
Democratic leaders from several Southern states had advocated for South Carolina to retain its leading role, asserting in a letter to the DNC that the state best represents the coalition-building necessary for presidential candidates and serves as a "moral and political compass for our party and our nation."
This calendar adjustment reflects the party’s broader effort to increase the influence of states that more accurately mirror the Democratic Party's diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters. This contrasts with the long-standing tradition of Iowa and New Hampshire, states characterized by overwhelmingly white electorates, leading the nominating contests.
"I think that it is good that we don’t take the order for granted, and just copy and paste it every cycle," New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive considered a potential 2028 candidate, commented before the announcement.
The decision is expected to significantly shape the initial stages of what is anticipated to be a competitive Democratic presidential primary. In the absence of an incumbent president or a clearly dominant frontrunner, the states voting first could play a disproportionately large role in determining which candidates gain momentum, attract donors, and establish viability.
Republicans are expected to maintain their traditional early-state lineup, which typically begins with Iowa and New Hampshire. The Democratic calendar decision marks one of the initial key steps in the anticipated two-year process toward the party's nomination, a process that has not seen a truly open primary in nearly two decades.