The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted Friday to select South Carolina as the first state in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, scheduled for January 22, marking a historic shift away from Iowa’s decades-long dominance and elevating more racially diverse states to set the party’s nominating agenda.
The committee also tentatively approved a full early-state calendar that will include Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia following South Carolina’s primary. The decision, which must be approved by the full Democratic National Committee at its August meeting in Austin, represents one of the most significant changes to the Democratic primary process in modern history.
South Carolina edged Nevada for the top spot. Both states had campaigned aggressively for the coveted first position, but committee members cited concerns about Nevada’s ability to process election results quickly and expressed concern that mail-ballot delays could inject chaos into the nominating process from the start, according to Politico. The choice also reflects a deliberate effort by Democrats to strengthen Black voting power in the South following a Supreme Court decision earlier in 2026 that significantly restricted the Voting Rights Act and triggered redistricting efforts.
The removal of Iowa from the first position ends a tradition that stretched back to 2008. Iowa led the Democratic calendar through 2020, but Democrats have long bemoaned the lack of diversity in Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates. Michigan replaced Iowa as the Midwest’s early state, while New Hampshire was bumped from second to third place. The calendar also represents a regional rebalancing: it now leads with the South, followed by the West and Northeast, before reaching the Midwest—a structure that sparked frustration from some Midwestern Democratic members who warned that their region was being overlooked.
South Carolina’s selection carries particular symbolic weight for the party. President Joe Biden successfully pushed to move South Carolina to the front of Democrats’ 2024 calendar, and the state delivered for him decisively. Biden won South Carolina’s primary on February 3, 2024, with roughly 97% of the vote, according to AP reporting, a result that revived his struggling campaign after underperformance in Iowa and New Hampshire and propelled him to victories across the Black-heavy South on Super Tuesday.
Jaime Harrison, a former DNC chair and former chair of South Carolina’s Democratic Party, told the Associated Press after the vote that the decision sends a critical message to Black voters, who have become the party’s most loyal base. “I think we needed a strong statement to say to the most loyal members of our party, which are Black voters, that we’re going to stand up with you,” Harrison said, according to PBS. “It was just really important for us to stand up and say, ‘We see you, we hear you, but most importantly, we’re gonna fight like hell for you. And your voices are important.'”
The overhaul reflects a broader Democratic effort to give greater influence to states that better mirror the party’s diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters. Proponents of South Carolina argued the state has the experience to stand up a lead-off primary and serves as a showcase for Black voters whose support has become vital for Democrats. Nevada’s supporters, by contrast, portrayed their state as the party’s future, emphasizing the growing role of Latino voters. The calendar now elevates both regions, signaling Democrats’ intent to build coalitions that reflect the party’s increasingly diverse base.
The decision will shape the opening stage of what is expected to be a crowded 2028 Democratic primary. Without an incumbent or clear front-runner, the states that vote first could play an outsized role in determining which candidates gain momentum, attract donors, and emerge as viable contenders. The full Democratic National Committee is scheduled to vote on the final calendar in August, though the committee’s recommendation Friday makes South Carolina’s top position highly likely to be confirmed.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — detailed timeline and summary of the July 24, 2026 DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee vote selecting South Carolina for January 22, 2028, and the full early-state calendar
- Politico — reporting on the committee’s decision, the regional tensions, the concerns about Nevada’s ballot processing, and the reasoning behind South Carolina’s selection over Nevada
- PBS News — AP reporting on the vote, South Carolina’s role in Biden’s 2024 campaign, and quotes from Jaime Harrison on the significance to Black voters
- Associated Press — reporting on Biden’s 2024 South Carolina primary victory (97% of vote) and the historic nature of the calendar shift
