{"id":47556,"date":"2026-08-15T23:29:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T18:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47556"},"modified":"2026-08-15T23:29:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T18:29:37","slug":"democrats-officially-set-their-2028-primary-calendar-with-south-carolina-going-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=47556","title":{"rendered":"Democrats officially set their 2028 primary calendar, with South Carolina going first"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p id=\"anchor-fb3ec9\" class=\"body-graf\">AUSTIN \u2014 Democrats teed up South Carolina to lead a six-state gauntlet of early presidential contests, sealing a 2028 roadmap that pushes Black and Latino voters and labor to the front of the line for choosing the party\u2019s next national leader.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-bd6f82\" class=\"body-graf\">After discussions Saturday in Texas, the Democratic National Committee formally anointed South Carolina, with its large African American primary electorate, as the first-in-the-nation state. It will be followed by Nevada, with high numbers of Latinos and powerful labor interests. Next up are New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and then Virginia. <\/p>\n<section class=\"inline-video inline-video--in-body\" data-testid=\"inline-video\" id=\"anchor-49184a\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__background\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc styles_videoContainer___xc7B video-container paused\" data-testid=\"gamma-video-player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc videoSlate styles_videoSlate__IvkAP\"><picture class=\"\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"focal\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1240px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-860x484,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_07\/1784926560203_now_mtp__clip_DNC_260724_S3_1920x1080-zrh865.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 758px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-1000x563,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_07\/1784926560203_now_mtp__clip_DNC_260724_S3_1920x1080-zrh865.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_07\/1784926560203_now_mtp__clip_DNC_260724_S3_1920x1080-zrh865.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_07\/1784926560203_now_mtp__clip_DNC_260724_S3_1920x1080-zrh865.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p id=\"anchor-f49ebc\" class=\"body-graf\">As it did in 2024<strong>, <\/strong>when then President Joe Biden initially sought re-election, the party committee apparatus put aside its decades-long tradition of kicking off the fight for presidential nominations in Iowa and New Hampshire. The DNC\u2019s early timetable is dispensing entirely with Iowa following its disastrous 2020 caucuses, when issues tallying the votes led to delays and confusion. Party leaders in New Hampshire, traditionally the first-in-the-nation primary state, and Iowa, long the site of first-in-the-nation caucuses, opposed the move. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-33b568\" class=\"body-graf\">The new calendar would launch the early series of contests in  six states from late January through the end of February, after which other states could hold their primaries, too. South Carolina\u2019s primary is to be held on Jan. 22, 2028, Nevada\u2019s on Feb. 1, New Hampshire\u2019s on Feb. 8, New Mexico\u2019s on Feb. 15, Michigan\u2019s on Feb. 22 and Virginia\u2019s on Feb. 29.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4d3b53\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cOur 2028 nominee, whoever they are, will have to earn the support across the full breadth of America. Every region, every demographic, every generation,\u201d Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in his opening remarks to committee members on Saturday. \u201cNo shortcuts. No coronation. You want to lead this party? Go earn it. Go and earn it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-fe3676\" class=\"body-graf\">Martin\u2019s words come as the party is still reckoning with the elevation in 2024 of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly replaced Biden as the party\u2019s nominee after he stepped aside. Biden, already contending with public doubts over his age and mental fragility, withdrew after he failed to complete sentences and stared off in silence during a televised June debate with Donald Trump. Support from party leaders and donors cratered, as did his position in public polling, forcing Biden to step aside with just 107 days left in the presidential race. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-192f19\" class=\"body-graf\">He backed Harris and Democratic leaders followed his lead, foregoing any internal contest for the spot. After Harris\u2019 loss, many leaders have lamented the decision not to allow various Democratic contenders to run for the spot. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-39c3a7\" class=\"body-graf\">It was Biden as president who first handpicked South Carolina as the party\u2019s leading primary state. The state had salvaged Biden\u2019s candidacy in 2020, when he was on the brink following his own poor showing in Iowa and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ad0780\" class=\"body-graf\">Some of the other leading candidates opposing Biden that year were unable to continue once they reached South Carolina and failed to win among Black voters. The party then discussed the merits of allowing two predominantly white states \u2014 Iowa and New Hampshire \u2014 to play such a critical leading role for an ethnically and racially diverse Democratic electorate. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4ad373\" class=\"body-graf\">Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart on Saturday opposed the new 2028 calendar, saying that Iowa losing its historic status means no Midwestern state will go in the first four states.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b30950\" class=\"body-graf\">Hart said Republicans will launch their presidential primaries in Iowa in 2028 regardless of what Democrats do and will have a leg up getting ready for general elections with national implications in the balance of Congress, including three congressional seats and the chance to flip Sen. Chuck Grassley\u2019s Senate seat in 2028. <\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-393fe0\" class=\"endmark body-graf\">\u201cThey will spend hundreds of millions of dollars to promote their candidates, and they will bring tons of national media attention,\u201d Hart said. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AUSTIN \u2014 Democrats teed up South Carolina to lead a six-state gauntlet of early presidential contests, sealing a 2028 roadmap that pushes Black and Latino voters and labor to the front of the line for choosing the party\u2019s next national leader. After discussions Saturday in Texas, the Democratic National Committee formally anointed South Carolina, with&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47557,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_nbcnews-fp-1200-630,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-08\/260814-ken-martin-mb-1324-040ec1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47557"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}