DNC panel recommends South Carolina hold the 1st presidential primary in 2028

The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee voted on Friday to recommend South Carolina again be the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest in 2028.

The committee also recommended greenlighting New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada to go in the early period of the primaries and caucuses.

South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain stated that South Carolina contains a major Black community, and that the state's early contest gives Democrats a reliable sense of how Black voters are feeling.

"Since the early 2000s, South Carolina has been the first in the South contest, and our party's most reliable read on Black voter sentiment, the group that this party most depends on," Spain said.

She also argued that the state has "done the work" and can be depended on to deliver election results on election day.

"South Carolina has done the work, and we will continue to do the work," Spain said. "We are ready to lead right now ... you can depend on South Carolina. You can depend on us to deliver election results on election day."

The 2028 order will still need to be approved by the full Democratic National Committee at its meeting in Austin, Texas next month.

The order of the primaries can also help spur or stymie presidential candidates as they try to prove they're the right choice to lead the ticket, as results and enthusiasm in the early states help indicate which candidates have momentum and are striking a chord with voters.

The calendar could spark further party intrigue down the line if some state parties don't follow the DNC's designated order.

The DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee approved last month potential penalties for states that hold contests outside of the order. State parties, however, can alleviate penalties if they demonstrate they tried to stay in compliance and were dealing with state laws or other challenges.

Presidential candidates themselves could be barred from participating in DNC-approved debates or getting any benefit from the votes in those states. That proposal will also need to be fully signed off on at the August meeting.

Republicans have indicated they plan to hew closely to the calendar they followed in 2024, where Iowa and New Hampshire went first in line.