Democrats Tackle Early Voting Spots for 2028 Presidential Primary
The Democratic Party is gradually advancing its deliberations regarding which states will be granted the prestigious early-voting slots in the upcoming 2028 presidential primary. On Monday, a new deadline was established for states wishing to secure a leading position in the primary calendar.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has set January 16 as the application deadline, which will pave the way for the announcement of the new state lineup sometime next year. As in 2022, the DNC is emphasizing a diverse geographical representation among the selected states, potentially allowing up to five states to cast their votes prior to Super Tuesday, according to committee announcements.
“The central question we need to address is how including each state in the early voting window contributes to our goal of electing a Democratic president and achieving electoral success,” remarked Stuart Appelbaum, a member of the DNC, during a recent Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting. “This will be our primary criterion for decision-making.”
In a move signaling a significant shift, the DNC revamped its calendar in 2022 by removing Iowa—traditionally the first voting state—adding Michigan, and promoting South Carolina to the top slot for 2024. This adjustment received endorsement from then-President Joe Biden, who owed a critical boost to his campaign to South Carolina. Naturally, this shift has sparked dissatisfaction in Iowa and New Hampshire, where officials are now clamoring to reclaim their former clout.
As the DNC prepares to reassess the order ahead of the 2028 primary, the stakes are notably higher in what is shaping up to be a wide-open presidential primary process. The sequence in which states vote could significantly influence candidates’ strategies. However, unlike in 2022, when Biden effectively dictated the calendar, the DNC now holds the reins.
Competition for an early calendar spot has already begun, with several DNC members privately predicting that the early window will closely resemble previous years, likely including South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Michigan. However, the real challenge may lie not in which states are selected, but in determining the order of voting.
This debate is particularly heated in New Hampshire, which conducted an unsanctioned primary in 2024 after losing its first-in-the-nation status to South Carolina. New Hampshire Democrats are advocating for the restoration of their priority position, presenting a memo to support their case. This memo asserts that reinstatement should not rely solely on tradition, the argument made in 2022, but instead emphasizes that “we are a small, purple state with unparalleled civic engagement.”
During the DNC meeting on Monday, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), who was instrumental in Michigan’s elevation in 2022, proactively countered accusations that her state is too large to be part of the early lineup.
“I understand the value of small states engaging in retail politics,” Dingell stated. “However, retail politics often becomes less relevant by October, and we must assess how candidates perform in more substantial states during the early voting period.”
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