South Carolina voters will cast the first ballots in the 2028 Democratic presidential contest under a plan approved Saturday by the Democratic National Committee that aims to give a bigger voice to Black and Latino voters in the process of picking the nominee for the White House.
The new calendar would kick off the primaries with voting in South Carolina on Jan. 22, 2028. Nevada would follow on Feb. 1, with primaries in New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia taking place later in the month. That roster would hold primaries before Super Tuesday, which is scheduled for March 7.
“Leaders, advocates, and Democrats from all across the country have praised the calendar’s historic diversity and its ability to battle-test candidates while maintaining an open, affordable field,” the DNC said in announcing the vote at the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin.
South Carolina and Nevada had been jockeying for the top spot on the primary election calendar, with supporters arguing that their states would serve as the best curtain-raiser for a nation skeptical about the Democratic Party’s brand. Advocates of South Carolina voting first made the case that the state’s large number of Black voters deserved the honor of the earliest vote because of their significance to the party overall.
The DNC on Saturday said the schedule provides the “most diverse open field early window in Democratic Party history.” The selected states in that early window will provide a “comprehensive test” with diverse voter groups key to winning a general election, the DNC said.
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