The Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee approved a proposal on Friday to retain South Carolina as the first state in the 2028 presidential primary process, with the primary election scheduled for 22 January 2028. Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia would follow in that order under the proposal. The selections must receive final approval from the full DNC at a meeting scheduled for next month.
The co-chairs of the committee, Minyon Moore and James Roosevelt Jr, characterized the proposed calendar as “a rigorous, fair, and efficient calendar that will win Democrats back the White House in 2028.” Supporters of South Carolina’s selection noted that the state’s primary voters backed Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, and President Biden subsequently advocated for the DNC to designate it as the first voting state in the 2024 nominating calendar. This decision replaced New Hampshire, which had historically held the first primary for both parties for decades, and Iowa, which conducted caucuses traditionally held first in presidential election years.
Proponents argue the new arrangement better represents the party’s voter demographics. Both New Hampshire and Iowa have predominantly white populations, while Democrats have increasingly depended on Black, Latino, and other minority voters to elect their candidates. Congressman James Clyburn stated that South Carolina’s demographics “reflect what our voter population needs to be in order for our candidates to be successful in the general election.” Nevada’s Democratic chair, Daniele Monroe-Moreno, contended her state represents the necessary coalition for future success, noting Trump’s 2024 electoral victory there—the first Republican win in two decades.
The selected early voting states include presidential battlegrounds and areas with competitive Senate and House races. These states contain substantially larger Black and Latino populations compared to states leading the 2020 nominating calendar, along with higher concentrations of union members and voters without college degrees—demographic groups with which Democratic candidates have faced difficulties securing support in recent elections.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI