Here’s the new 2028 primary lineup from the DNC:
On July 24, 2026, the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted on the following states to hold their primaries first:
South Carolina: January 22, 2028
Nevada: February 1, 2028
New Hampshire: February 8, 2028
New Mexico: February 15, 2028
Michigan: February 22, 2028
Virginia: February 29, 2028
This week’s TPM podcast covered this lineup, and Kate Riga thought that the reason that South Carolina is in the lineup rather than Georgia is because Georgia’s legislature was going to make a big deal about changing the primary date. For some reason (I’m guessing Jim Clyburn), South Carolina didn’t have the same issue. Riga also noted that this whole change was pretty thinly reported, and she wasn’t sure about all of the reasons for this lineup of the first six primary states.
Nevertheless, even though I’d like to replace South Carolina with Georgia or North Carolina, and boot New Hampshire out entirely, it’s a pretty good list. Iowa is completely out, not just because it’s a red state, but also because the caucus system was stupid, and because the Iowa Democratic Party utterly fucked up the 2020 caucuses. The first primaries should cater to swing states (NV, MI, VI) and also to states where we’re trying to attract new voters (NM with Hispanics). As Riga pointed out in the podcast, these are all relatively cheap media markets. That’s good, too.
The knives are out for Ken Martin, as they should be, but this is a competent effort from a guy who would have been acceptable a decade or two ago, but is now overmatched by the challenge at hand. Good for him for getting this done, and vaya con dios.
