The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted Friday to recommend that South Carolina should hold the nation's first 2028 presidential nominating contest. South Carolina is expected to be the first state in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary contest after the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) rules and bylaws committee voted Friday to approve it as the initial battleground. The committee's recommendation will now go to the entire Democratic National Committee, which will consider the matter in Austin, Texas,...
WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina was selected Friday to once again lead off the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nominating schedule, most likely cementing a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa off the top of the calendar and elevating more racially diverse states.The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will need to be approved by the full organization, which is scheduled to meet in August.South Carolina or Nevada had been expected to go first, with each state aggressively campaigning for the coveted spot.President Joe Biden successfully pushed to move South Carolina to the front of Democrats’ 2024 calendar after the state revived his struggling 2020 presidential campaign. South Carolina has long been the first Southern contest and has served as a key test of candidates’ support among Black voters.Jaime Harrison, a former DNC chair in attendance Friday, told The Associated Press after the vote that keeping his home state first on Democrats’ nominating calendar signaled to Black voters the value they bring to the party, especially after a Supreme Court decision aimed at weakening their voting power.“I think we needed a strong statement to say to the most loyal members of our party, which are Black voters, that we’re going to stand up with you,” said Harrison, who also chaired South Carolina's Democratic Party. “It was just really important for us to stand up and say, ’We see you, we hear you, but most importantly, we’re gonna fight like hell for you.
And your voices are important.'”Democratic leaders in a handful of southern states had lobbied for South Carolina to reprise its role as the party’s first-in-the-nation contest holder, arguing in a letter to the DNC that the state best represents the initial playing field for presidential candidates to build the coalitions needed to win and serves as “a moral and political compass for our party and our nation.”Democrats wanted more influence for diverse statesThe overhaul reflects Democrats’ effort to give greater influence to states that better mirror the party’s diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters, after years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates.Much of Friday's debate stood as a contrast on several fronts. South Carolina proponents argued they had the experience to stan… Democrats have selected South Carolina to hold the first presidential nominating contest in 2028
The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will need to be approved by the full organization, which is scheduled to meet in August. South Carolina or Nevada had been expected to go first, with each state aggressively campaigning for the coveted spot. President Joe Biden successfully pushed to move South Carolina to the front of Democrats’ 2024 calendar after the state revived his struggling 2020 presidential campaign.
Democratic leaders in a handful of southern states had lobbied for South Carolina to reprise its role as the party’s first-in-the-nation contest holder, arguing in a letter to the DNC that the state best represents the initial playing field for presidential candidates to build the coalitions needed to win and serves as “a moral and political compass for our party and our nation.” Democrats wanted more influence for diverse states The overhaul reflects Democrats’ effort to give greater influence to states that better mirror the party’s diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters, after years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates. Much of Friday’s debate stood as a contrast on several fronts. South Carolina proponents argued they had the experience to stand up a lead-off primary, and served as a showcase for the Black voters whose support has become vital for Democrats.
“Black voters didn’t just show up for this party in 2020. They saved us,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said, in making her argument for South Carolina. “They saved our entire country from Donald Trump.” Nevada’s supporters, meanwhile, portrayed their state as the party’s future, in which they argued Latino voters play a larger and larger role.
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