Democrats pick South Carolina, Nevada to lead 2028 presidential primaries

The US Democratic Party has voted to reshape its 2028 presidential primary calendar, prioritizing states with significant minority populations to kick off the nominating contests. South Carolina and Nevada will now lead the early schedule, a move party officials believe better reflects their values and will aid in retaking the White House.

South Carolina, with its large African American population, is set to vote on January 22, 2028, followed by Nevada on February 1, which has a substantial Latino demographic. This new sequence aims to test White House hopefuls by exposing them to a more diverse electorate earlier in the process. Other states slated for early contests include New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia.

The decision to elevate South Carolina stems from its crucial role in President Joe Biden's 2020 nomination victory. Biden subsequently moved to make South Carolina the first primary in 2024, a change that was defied by New Hampshire due to state law requiring it to hold the nation's first primary. To prevent future deviations, the Democratic Party has voted to increase penalties for states that do not adhere to the approved schedule.

However, the compliance of New Hampshire and Iowa, which has a legal requirement for caucuses to precede all other states, remains uncertain. These traditional early states have significantly less diverse populations compared to South Carolina and Nevada, with New Hampshire being over 90 percent white and Iowa around 88 percent white, according to US Census data.

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The new schedule truly represents our party and our values, and will help us retake the White House in 2028.