Tipsheet

The DNC Has Chosen Which State Will Be the First on the 2028 Primary Calendar

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  July 24, 2026 2:00 PM

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced that South Carolina will be the first Southern state on its 2028 primary calendar, beating out Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

Here's more from CNN:

South Carolina is poised to remain the first Democratic presidential primary state after securing a key panel’s recommendation, a move that will maintain Black voters’ prominent position on the calendar.

Friday’s vote capped off months of aggressive organizing by Nevada, South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa, all of which were seeking the coveted first-in-the-nation spot for 2028. The states’ party leaders and allies lobbied members of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws panel as it considered which states it would allow to hold primaries before Super Tuesday.

The panel also voted to allow Nevada, Michigan and New Hampshire to hold early primaries and is expected to add two more states. The full DNC will consider the RBC’s proposed slate at its August meeting.

In recent days it became clear that the panel was split between giving Nevada and South Carolina first billing. Members of the rules committee debated which state to make first at a Thursday evening dinner that stretched past midnight.

At the center of the debate was a question over how to balance acknowledging Black voters, the party’s most loyal members, while also reaching out to Latino voters, a bloc that drifted away from Democrats in 2024.

This is probably not good news for candidates like Pete Buttigieg or any Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates who might be eying a bid for the White House in two years. Why? This means that Rep. James Clyburn will have a lot of influence over who the Democrats nominate and the “my ideas only sound good to far-left rich white kids” caucus will probably struggle to do well with him, too.

That would be hilarious.

Harris has to be very happy right now.

This also means Newsom's prospects, not bright to begin with, just got dimmer.

The DNC has regional picks named. In addition to South Carolina, they've selected New Hampshire, Michigan, and Nevada.

The full DNC must still approve the final calendar at its meeting in Austin, Texas, in August 2026.