Democratic Party Reveals First State For 2028 Presidential Primary

Democrats on Saturday approved a new presidential nominating calendar for 2028, cementing South Carolina's place as the first official Democratic primary state, as the party looks to elevate states that better reflect its diverse coalition of voters.

The vote came during the… pic.twitter.com/lI0E0ApjtZ

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2026

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The new calendar represents a sea change from past competitive primaries. For decades, Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with largely white populations, had started the process. Now, two southern states and two Western states will be among the earliest contests, which is likely to expand the influence of Black and Latino voters. “Six states, different regions, different communities, different experiences but together as one our road map to the White House,” Ken Martin, the DNC party chairman, said in a speech to the party on Saturday.

The earliest states will play an outsize role in winnowing what is expected to be an expansive field of candidates. The order was officially set by a vote of the D.N.C. membership at a meeting in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

After those first six states vote, each on their own day, a range of states will vote on Super Tuesday in early March.

The party’s new rules include stiff penalties for states that hold primaries in violation of the calendar, and for any candidates who might campaign in those states. But some uncertainty remains, especially in New Hampshire, where a state law requires its primary be the first in the nation. The D.N.C. allows the state to hold a party-organized primary on Feb. 8.

Democrats in the state so far have resisted being relegated to third in line.

The party had tried to put South Carolina first in 2024, as well, but New Hampshire jumped the line. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. declined to appear on the New Hampshire ballot, so his supporters instead organized a write-in campaign, and the party eventually rescinded its penalties and seated the state’s delegates at the convention.

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The Democratic Party’s new 2028 presidential primary calendar will “make any candidate get out and earn it,” says Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY), telling @edokeefe he’s “happy” South Carolina and Virginia are included in the early-state lineup.

“For too long, southern Democrats have… pic.twitter.com/gnyuhmA7v5

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 16, 2026

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Not everyone in the party is on board. Democratic leaders in Iowa and New Hampshire — previously the first and second states to hold primary contests, respectively — excoriated the new map as soon as the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee recommended it, arguing that it diminishes the role of states that have long taken on the responsibility of shaping the presidential nomination battlefield.

“New Hampshire’s First in the Nation primary is a tested proving ground in a closely contested swing state that forges better candidates and better presidents — and despite what DNC insiders say, that hasn’t changed,” New Hampshire’s U.S. congressional delegation said in a statement. “As a state with highly engaged voters, we put candidates through their paces and thoroughly vet them. And our small size means that actually meeting and talking to voters takes precedence over super PACs or mega-donor-fueled campaigns.”

Iowa Democratic Chair Rita Hart said on Saturday the new calendar “fundamentally misses the mark,” saying the job of the DNC calendar is to “ensure that the strongest possible nominee emerges” to become the Democratic candidate for president.

“It’s a product of broken promises, and it excludes huge swaths of the country and the voters that Democrats need to win, the kind of majorities it takes to restore Democratic principles and reject this misguided and corrupt Trump administration,” she said.

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