A group within the Democratic National Committee voted on July 24, 2026, to recommend that South Carolina hold the first Democratic presidential primary of the 2028 election, according to NPR.

The committee, called the Rules and Bylaws panel, sets the rules for how Democrats pick their presidential nominee. It picked South Carolina over Nevada, New Hampshire, and Iowa. The DNC announced the recommendation in a press release on democrats.org on July 24, 2026.

Under the plan, South Carolina would vote on January 22, 2028. Nevada and New Hampshire would follow, then New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia. Only six states could hold Democratic primaries before Super Tuesday on March 7, 2028. Super Tuesday is when many states vote at once, which can quickly change who is leading the race.

The full DNC will take a final vote on the plan in August 2026.

South Carolina also held the first Democratic primary in 2024. Before that, the process always started with the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. The DNC posted the calendar details at democrats.org/early-window.

The reason for putting South Carolina first is to give Black voters a bigger say early on. Black voters are one of the most important groups for the Democratic Party. Nearly one in four registered voters in South Carolina is Black, according to state voting data. According to AP Vote Cast, 83% of Black voters nationwide supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Joe Biden's first win in the 2020 Democratic primary race also came in South Carolina.

Christale Spain is the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party.