Joe Biden's 2024 Nomination Strategy Shifts Focus to South Carolina Amidst Democratic Party Divide
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In 2022, former President Joe Biden persuaded Democrats to overhaul their 2024 nominating calendar to put South Carolina first. New Hampshire, which traditionally had been the first state to vote in the primaries, defied the national party that year and stuck to its usual January spot on the calendar, although the DNC did not seat any of the New Hampshire delegates elected in that gathering.
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USA TodayIn a late July meeting, the Democratic Party’s powerful rules and bylaws committee drafted the now-approved calendar that scheduled South Carolina to hold the first Democratic presidential contest of 2028. Then the committee slotted Nevada as the second primary state, freezing traditional first-in-the-nation New Hampshire out of the top two slots.
ABC NewsIn late July, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted to recommend that South Carolina be the first state to hold a presidential nominating contest in 2028, while recommending greenlighting New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada as well to go in the early period of the primaries and caucuses before the "Super Tuesday" batch of primaries on March 7, 2028.
The HillDNC gives final approval of 2028 primary calendar starting in South Carolina The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has voted to approve the 2028 presidential primary calendar, starting with South Carolina. The party okayed a plan that has the Palmetto State kicking off the cycle on Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1.  New Hampshire, long a first-in-the-nation contest, will hold its primary third, on Feb.…
Washington TimesAUSTIN, Texas — Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination in 2028 will need to prove themselves early on in states where Black and Latino voters and union members are key supporters, under an election-year calendar approved Saturday.
PBS NewsHourDemocrats' 2028 presidential calendar gives Black and Latino voters and union members an early say The primary lineup pushes Iowa from the traditional top spot and makes South Carolina the leadoff state, voting on Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1.
NBC NewsAs it did in 2024, when then-President Joe Biden initially sought re-election, the party committee apparatus put aside its decadeslong tradition of kicking off the fight for presidential nominations in Iowa and New Hampshire. The DNC’s early timetable is dispensing entirely with Iowa following its disastrous 2020 caucuses, when issues tallying the votes led to delays and confusion. Party leaders in New Hampshire, traditionally the first-in-the-nation primary state, and Iowa, long the site of first-in-the-nation caucuses, opposed the move.
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Progressives vs. moderates While the Democratic Party is facing an ongoing ideological tug-of-war between the moderate establishment and its progressive wing nationwide, moderates still have an edge in the conservative state, say the state's party leadership and political experts.
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Washington TimesThe progressive vs. establishment dynamics may shift There is disagreement over how Democrats’ split between progressives and mainstream liberals may or may not surface in the nominating calendar.
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The first state to vote in a presidential nominating contest often helps to shape the field of candidates, drawing campaign spending and media attention.
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USA TodayState political parties and officials often seek slots in the early presidential primary nominating calendar because it can give state voters a greater influence over the process. Early spots can also provide economic benefits, as candidates tend to devote more time and money to campaigning and garnering media attention in those states.
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In a scathing statement after the July meeting, New Hampshire Democratic leader Buckley said the vote showed that "many party insiders have learned nothing" from the 2024 election. "This committee’s vote does not change the realities governing New Hampshire’s primary, which are beyond the control of both this committee and our state party."
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ABC NewsNew Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Raymond Buckley said the Rules and Bylaws Committee's July decision to not make the state the first presidential primary showed that "many party insiders have learned nothing from 2024."
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The DNC has said that penalties that could be levied on state parties, such as fines and loss of delegates; and on presidential candidates, such as potentially losing access to DNC-sanctioned debates if they campaign in states out of order, will serve as enough of a deterrent for states to follow the order and for candidates to not campaign in states conflicting with the calendar.
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USA TodayIn June, the rules and bylaws committee approved stronger penalties for state parties that choose to violate the national party's calendar. The repercussions include a $270,000 fine and lowering representation at the 2028 Democratic National Convention from 50% to 100% – meaning that a violating state's Democratic Party would be completely unrepresented at the convention.
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01 USA Today That includes multiple trips by California Gov. Gavin Newsom for the South Carolina Democratic Party's "On the Road" series, an initiative designed to connect national and regional Democratic figures to local communities.
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02 NBC News Some of the other leading candidates opposing Biden that year were unable to continue once they reached South Carolina and failed to win among Black voters. The party then discussed the merits of allowing two predominantly white states — Iowa and New Hampshire — to play such a critical leading role for an ethnically and racially diverse Democratic electorate.
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03 Washington Times Some potential candidates in what is expected to be a large field have visited early-voting states such as South Carolina. Party leaders have said the order give candidates the best shot at winning back the White House after Republican President Donald Trump’s second term.
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04 ABC News The new order also puts a focus on Latino voters, with Nevada going second in the line-up, after Democrats lost ground with the key demographic in the 2024 presidential election. Analysis conducted by the Pew Research Center found that while Biden won among Hispanic voters by 25 points in 2020, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris only won among them by 3 points in 2024.
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05 HuffPost South Carolina and Nevada had tussled in July over which state should claim the top spot in a competition that became a proxy battle between the party’s Black and Latino bases.
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