Democrats move to keep South Carolina as first state to vote in 2028 presidential primaries

DNC made move in bid to better represent views of party’s racially diverse voter base ahead of next presidential cycle

Democrats moved to keep South Carolina as the first state to vote in their party’s 2028 presidential primary process, while moving up several other states, in a bid to better represent the views of the party’s racially diverse voter base.

At a meeting in Washington DC of the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) rules and bylaws committee on Friday, South Carolina received a slim majority of votes to take the first spot, scheduled for 22 January 2028, with Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia set to follow, in that order. The selections must still be confirmed by the full DNC at a meeting set for next month.