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Why It Matters
The Democratic National Committee’s decision to reshape its 2028 presidential nominating process signals a significant departure from decades of tradition and reflects internal party calculations about geography, demographics, and turnout. The move eliminates Iowa from its longtime kingmaker role and repositions the primary calendar to prioritize Southern and Western states—a shift that will influence which candidates gain early momentum and which fade before reaching the general election.
What Happened
The DNC approved six early primary contests for the 2028 cycle by voice vote on Saturday during the party’s national meeting in Austin, Texas. The new lineup eliminates Iowa from early contests, ending the state’s position as first-in-the-nation that it held in 2016 and 2020.
South Carolina and Nevada will kick off the Democratic nominating process, followed by New Mexico, Virginia, Georgia, and New Hampshire. The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee had recommended this lineup in late July, and the full membership ratified the recommendation on Saturday.
The six-state early lineup includes representation from each of the DNC’s four geographic regions. The early voting states collectively include more than 4.2 million Latino voters, reflecting Democratic efforts to build support among the nation’s fastest-growing demographic group.
South Carolina returns to its position as an early contest state for the second consecutive presidential cycle. The state proved decisive in the 2020 Democratic primary, helping to revive Former President Joe Biden’s campaign before Super Tuesday contests.
By the Numbers
- Six early primary contests approved for 2028
- Four DNC geographic regions represented in the early lineup
- 4.2 million Latino voters in early primary states
- Iowa held first-in-the-nation status in 2016 and 2020 Democratic cycles
- One point: margin between Democrat James Talarico and Republican Ken Paxton in a Texas poll conducted August 9-10
Zoom Out
The Democratic decision contrasts sharply with Republican strategy. The Republican National Committee kept Iowa’s caucus as the first contest in its 2028 nominating process, maintaining the state’s traditional role in that party’s calendar.
Iowa’s exclusion from the Democratic early contests stemmed partly from the 2020 caucus debacle, when technical failures delayed result reporting and left no declared winner on caucus night. The malfunction raised questions about the caucus format’s viability and prompted the DNC to reconsider Iowa’s position.
The DNC also announced the creation of a Southern States Resource Hub during its Austin meeting on Friday. The initiative aims to address what party leaders described as “years of underinvestment” in Southern Democratic parties, signaling the national committee’s commitment to building long-term organizational capacity in regions where Democrats have struggled in recent elections.
Ken Martin, chair of the DNC, framed the calendar change as essential to building national support. “Our 2028 nominee, whoever they are, will have to earn the support across the full breadth of America—every region, every demographic, every generation, every economic station in life,” Martin said, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
What’s Next
The 2028 primary cycle will unfold under the new calendar beginning in South Carolina and Nevada. Iowa state Democratic officials had pushed to retain an early position, but their effort was unsuccessful. Some Democrats, including Rita Hart, have already criticized the calendar for lacking representation of states in the central and mountain time zones and for excluding Midwest states from the first four contests.
The early primary lineup sets the stage for what promises to be a competitive Democratic nominating process, with multiple regions and demographic groups playing decisive roles from the start.
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