Democratic party officials from five southern states are pushing for South Carolina to maintain its position as the first state to hold presidential primary voting in 2028, contending that the state provides the most effective initial testing ground for White House hopefuls seeking to forge winning coalitions.
Party leaders from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and West Virginia sent correspondence Thursday to Democratic National Committee officials, urging them “to do everything in your power to ensure South Carolina continues to serve as the indispensable first proving ground for Democratic presidential nominees.” The DNC is currently considering which states will vote first in the upcoming presidential primary cycle.
These officials maintain South Carolina deserves the opening slot because it “is not simply a geographic starting point. It is a moral and political compass for our party and our nation.”
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee is conducting meetings this week, listening to presentations from twelve states vying to lead the 2028 calendar. Additional southern states competing for early positions include Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
South Carolina chair Christale Spain, scheduled to present her state’s case Thursday afternoon, has expressed confidence that her state has “more to offer than other states do,” highlighting “the role of Black folks.”
“The fight for voting rights is no longer just a courtroom battle, it is an electoral one,” the Democratic chairs wrote in their letter, which was shared with The Associated Press before public release. “And it begins in South Carolina.”
“Any effort to diminish South Carolina’s role in the primary process would be a step backward for the Democratic Party’s stated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” they continued. “It would signal to Southern Democrats and to Black voters in particular, that their loyalty to this party is taken for granted. We refuse to accept that, and we will stand firmly against it.”
In additional correspondence to DNC leadership, Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus Institute — which has collaborated with the South Carolina Democratic Party on multiple presidential debates previously — echoed similar concerns.
“To remove or diminish South Carolina’s standing in the primary calendar would send precisely the wrong message to Black voters and to every voter who has been told their voice does not matter until after the outcome is already decided,” Thompson stated.
South Carolina has maintained one of the nation’s earliest Democratic primary dates for many years. As the initial southern state to conduct its primary, South Carolina has served as the first measure of candidates’ ability to connect with Black voters, who constitute a significant portion of the state’s Democratic electorate.
During 2020, Joe Biden’s success in appealing to these voters — combined with a key endorsement from Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s sole congressional Democrat and formerly the highest-ranking Black Democratic legislator in Congress — enabled him to revitalize a struggling primary campaign, achieve a decisive South Carolina victory, and ultimately claim the nomination.
For the 2024 election cycle, Biden spearheaded a DNC initiative to position South Carolina as the party’s first primary state, emphasizing the state’s greater racial diversity compared to Iowa and New Hampshire, the traditional early-voting states with predominantly white populations. New Hampshire rejected the DNC’s proposal and conducted its own early primary before South Carolina, where Biden — despite not campaigning or appearing on the ballot — won decisively through a supporter-organized write-in effort.
Biden, who also secured a comfortable victory in South Carolina’s 2024 primary, advocated for a restructured primary schedule that placed Nevada second. He also promoted moving Michigan’s Democratic primary — representing a large and diverse battleground state — ahead of Super Tuesday, the early March date when numerous states hold primaries and the majority of delegates required for nomination are awarded.
While the official calendar won’t be finalized until later this summer, potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates have been actively visiting South Carolina for several months.
