States have two weeks to make case to be among first to hold 2028 Democratic presidential primaries

States are fighting to be at the start of the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, as they apply to have their elections early in the cycle.According to their state Democratic parties, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and Michigan, which made up the early states in the Democrats’ 2024 primary calendar, are all applying again to begin the primary election cycle in 2028, POLITICO reported. Iowa, which lost its top spot last election cycle, has applied, in addition to Georgia.
According to three anonymous sources, Virginia and North Carolina are also seriously considering applying ahead of the deadline later Friday.
“The day after the 2026 midterms, people are going to launch into action, so the window needs to be set,” South Carolina Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley said. “It’s possible they not only start coming, but they could start putting staff on the ground the earliest we’ve ever seen.”
Members of the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, which sets the primaries election calendar, are expected to weed out applicants at their Jan. 31 meeting, three anonymous DNC members told POLITICO.
After that meeting, states will be invited to make presentations to the committee later that spring. One unnamed DNC member told the news outlet that they expected the calendar to be set over the summer and voted on by the full DNC at its August meeting, but the timeline could easily move to later in 2026.
DNC officials have said they want all four regions of the country represented, in addition to a potential extra state, to vote ahead of Super Tuesday. DNC members have also noted whether states represent racial and geographic diversity, the cost-effectiveness for smaller presidential candidates, and the general election competitiveness of the states.
Iowa, Michigan, and Georgia are looking to get their primaries scheduled to start before Super Tuesday.
“The early states should be swing states,” Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Curtis Hertel said. “The investments we’re making on the ground [in the primary] are beneficial to the general.”
Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina are all pushing to have the first primary election. Despite South Carolina being the official first primary last presidential election cycle, New Hampshire’s occurred before theirs, as required under state law.
In a statement, DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee co-chairs, Jim Roosevelt and Minyon Moore, said: “The Rules and Bylaws Committee is committed to running a rigorous, efficient, and fair process that will deliver the strongest presidential nominee for our party. We look forward to continuing that work later this month when the committee begins consideration of state applications to hold their contest in the early window of the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating process.”
DNC declined POLITICO’s request for comment on which states have applied so far.

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