AUSTIN – The Democratic National Committee has formally selected South Carolina to hold the first contest in the party’s 2028 presidential primary, while Michigan will vote fifth in the newly approved calendar.

The decision came Saturday during the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, where party members approved a recommendation previously adopted by the Rules and Bylaws Committee. The arrangement gives South Carolina significant early influence over the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Under the new calendar, South Carolina will hold its primary Jan. 22, 2028. Nevada will follow on Feb. 1, New Hampshire on Feb. 8, New Mexico on Feb. 15, Michigan on Feb. 22 and Virginia on Feb. 29.

The six contests will take place before Super Tuesday on March 7, when numerous states are expected to vote simultaneously.

The calendar leaves Iowa — which traditionally opened the presidential nominating contests for both major parties — outside the Democratic Party’s early window. New Hampshire, which has long claimed the first-in-the-nation primary, will vote third under the approved Democratic schedule.

Party officials said the new sequence will give voters more time to learn about the candidates while testing the contenders’ ability to build competitive organizations across states with different demographic, geographic and economic characteristics.

DNC Chair Ken Martin said the calendar reflects the Democratic Party and its values while helping prepare its eventual nominee to compete for the White House in 2028.

The selection of South Carolina as the opening contest represents a significant departure from the tradition of allowing Iowa and New Hampshire to dominate the beginning of the presidential nominating process.

South Carolina has become increasingly influential in Democratic primaries because of its large Black electorate, a core constituency of the party’s national coalition. Black voters have played decisive roles in the state’s recent presidential primaries, including Joe Biden’s commanding South Carolina victory in 2020, which revived his campaign and propelled him toward the Democratic nomination.

The state’s lead position was not guaranteed. South Carolina faced strong competition from Nevada, reflecting a broader debate within the party about which constituencies should have the greatest influence at the start of the nominating process.

While South Carolina offers candidates an early test among Black voters, Nevada has a substantial Latino population and a strong organized labor presence. The competition between the two states therefore extended beyond scheduling and became part of a wider discussion about the communities that should help shape the Democratic presidential field.

The approved calendar includes states representing Black, Latino, union and working-class voters, as well as several battlegrounds expected to play important roles in the general election.

Michigan’s turn

Michigan, home to the country’s largest concentration of Arab American voters, will hold its Democratic presidential primary on Feb. 22, 2028. It will be the first Midwestern state to vote in the party’s nominating contest.

Michigan law schedules the presidential primary for the fourth Tuesday in February, which in 2028 falls on Feb. 22 and therefore aligns with the date approved by the DNC.

The early position is expected to give Michigan voters — including the state’s sizable Arab American, Black, Muslim and union constituencies — substantial influence over the Democratic nomination.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel thanked DNC members for recognizing the state’s importance in presidential elections.

“This new calendar, with Michigan as the fifth state, will make sure our 2028 nominee is battle-tested and able to win nationwide,” Hertel said. “The road to the White House runs through Michigan, and we look forward to helping elect a Democratic president in 2028.”

Michigan is one of the country’s most closely watched electoral battlegrounds, making it an important test of whether presidential candidates can assemble the diverse coalition needed to win a general election.

David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University in Rochester Hills, said the Feb. 22 date would give Michigan voters considerable influence over the nomination and bring intense campaign activity to the state during the opening weeks of the race.

The order of the early contests can have enormous consequences for presidential campaigns. Strong performances can generate donations, media attention and momentum, while disappointing results can lead struggling candidates to withdraw before most states have voted.

Michigan’s position on the calendar is already likely to intensify political attention from potential presidential contenders.

In recent weeks, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have made public appearances in Michigan, underscoring the state’s growing importance in the Democratic Party and speculation surrounding the 2028 race.

None of the three has formally declared a presidential campaign.

Echoes of the “Uncommitted” campaign

Michigan also occupied an early position in the DNC’s 2024 presidential calendar, holding its primary on Feb. 27 of that year.

That election produced a significant warning for the Democratic Party when more than 100,000 voters selected “Uncommitted” instead of supporting Biden, the incumbent president and presumptive Democratic nominee.

The protest campaign was organized primarily in response to Biden’s support for Israel during its war on Gaza. Led in part by Arab American and Muslim organizers in Metro Detroit, the campaign sought to demonstrate that the administration’s Gaza policy could cost Democrats crucial support in Michigan and other battleground states.

The result attracted national attention and inspired similar campaigns in other states, highlighting the potential influence of Michigan’s Arab American and Muslim electorate on presidential politics.

Michigan’s early placement in the 2028 calendar means presidential candidates will again have to engage with the state’s diverse electorate near the beginning of the nomination process. Candidates are expected to face questions not only about the economy, labor rights and manufacturing, but also about immigration and U.S. policy in the Middle East.

The 2028 Democratic primary is expected to be an open and highly competitive contest, increasing the importance of the first six states. Early victories or setbacks in South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia could substantially narrow the field before Super Tuesday.