RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Democrats\u00a0on Saturday approved a new presidential nominating calendar for 2028, cementing South Carolina\u0027s place as the first official Democratic primary state, as the party looks to elevate states that better reflect its diverse coalition of voters.The vote came during the Democratic National Committee\u0027s\u00a0summer meeting in Austin, where members signed off on a schedule that begins with South Carolina on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia round out the early-state lineup throughout February, all voting before Super Tuesday."This is much bigger than a lineup of dates on a calendar," said DNC Chair Ken Martin. "This is about our approach to winning back the presidency. It\u0027s about the kind of Democratic Party and the kind of country we aspire to be."The new calendar goes into effect amid a tug-of-war within the progressive and establishment wings of the party. It also continues a shift away from a tradition that for half a century gave states that are predominantly composed of White voters \u00e2\u0080\u0094 Iowa and New Hampshire \u00e2\u0080\u0094 outsized influence at the start of the nominating process. Strategists say the new calendar gives greater influence to Black and Latino voters, who make up key parts of the Democratic coalition.\u00a0"If you\u0027re not strong with Latino voters or if you\u0027re not strong with Black voters, you know you can only get so far in this calendar," CBS News contributor and Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha said, adding that the schedule shows Black voters "the respect that they\u0027re due."Not everyone in the party is on board. Democratic leaders in Iowa and New Hampshire \u00e2\u0080\u0094 previously the first and second states to hold primary contests, respectively \u00e2\u0080\u0094 excoriated the new map as soon as the DNC\u0027s Rules and Bylaws Committee recommended it, arguing that it diminishes the role of states that have long taken on the responsibility of shaping the presidential nomination battlefield.\u00a0"New Hampshire\u0027s First in the Nation primary is a tested proving ground in a closely contested swing state that forges better candidates and better presidents \u00e2\u0080\u0094 and despite what DNC insiders say, that hasn\u0027t changed," New Hampshire\u0027s U.S. congressional delegation said in a statement. "As a state with highly engaged voters, we put candidates through their paces and thoroughly vet them. And our small size means that actually meeting and talking to voters takes precedence over super PACs or mega-donor-fueled campaigns."Iowa Democratic Chair Rita Hart said on Saturday the new calendar "fundamentally misses the mark," saying the job of the DNC calendar is to "ensure that the strongest possible nominee emerges" to become the Democratic candidate for president."It\u0027s a product of broken promises, and it excludes huge swaths of the country and the voters that Democrats need to win, the kind of majorities it takes to restore Democratic principles and reject this misguided and corrupt Trump administration," she said.Momentum for South Carolina\u0027s ascension in the calendar traces back to 2020, when a victory there shifted momentum in the presidential primary that year to Joe Biden after he performed poorly in Iowa, New Hampshire and, to a lesser extent, Nevada. Under pressure from Biden and his allies, the DNC moved South Carolina\u0027s primary to first for the 2024 calendar.\u00a0That cycle, New Hampshire defied the DNC\u0027s revised schedule and held its primary before South Carolina, citing a state law that mandates it hold the first primary. In response, the party stripped the contest of its sanctioned status. DNC Chair Ken Martin has signaled that if New Hampshire jumps ahead again in 2028, punishment will be more severe.\u00a0"This is a calendar this party is actually going to protect," Martin told reporters after the DNC\u0027s Rules and Bylaws Committee met last month to propose a new schedule.\u00a0The new calendar could impact the ideological battle within the Democratic Party between establishment moderates and more progressive candidates, including far-left democratic socialists. With no obvious 2028 front-runner, the newly approved schedule gives South Carolina, Nevada and the other four early states disproportionate influence over which faction can build early momentum in the 2028 presidential primaries.\u00a0Among the states granted early slots, only Nevada and New Mexico offer clear advantages to progressives. Michigan has shown openness this cycle to progressives, with the primary victory of Abdul El-Sayed in the Senate race, but historically has elected more moderate candidates. New Hampshire voters have over time shown an openness to outsiders, but they typically have a more independent streak rather than a steep ideological lean.\u00a0Progressives face an uphill battle in South Carolina, which has fewer of the White voters with college degrees who tend to support further-left candidates, and Virginia, which has long favored more moderate candidates.\u00a0The decision to elevate states with large Black and Hispanic populations also comes as Democrats fight to stop the GOP from gaining ground with those two groups in general elections. President Trump won 48% of the Hispanic vote in 2024, up 12 points from four years earlier, and he won 15% of Black voters, almost double his share in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. His share of non-Hispanic White voters remained stable, at 55%.
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