DNC panel backs South Carolina as first 2028 primary

A key Democratic Party panel voted on Friday, July 24, 2026, to recommend South Carolina as the first state to vote in the party's 2028 presidential primary, a decision that would keep the state at the head of the calendar for a second consecutive cycle. The vote by the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which requires final approval from the full DNC next month, followed a competitive and sometimes contentious process involving several states.

The committee selected South Carolina over Nevada and New Hampshire after a two-day meeting in Washington. The preliminary vote tally was 26 votes for South Carolina, 19 for Nevada, and 4 for New Hampshire. The panel also moved to include five other states in the early nominating window before Super Tuesday: Nevada, New Hampshire, Michigan, New Mexico, and Virginia. The full DNC is scheduled to meet in August in Austin, Texas, to finalize the calendar.

The decision maintains a significant shift in Democratic nominating tradition, which for decades began with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. In 2022, under President Joe Biden's leadership, the party overhauled its calendar for the 2024 cycle, moving...