Democrats' choice for opening state of 2028 primary expected to give Harris a 'huge' advantage

Kamala Harris.

Primary voting in the 2028 race to crown the Democrats nominee for president is likely to begin in South Carolina, a party committee announced on Friday in a move that political analysts say will give Kamala Harris a notable advantage if she ends up running.

The decision still needs approval from the full DNC, which is set to meet and vote on the proposal next month. If approved, as as the measure is expected to be, 2028 would mark the second consecutive presidential election cycle in which South Carolina voters would go to the polls first in the nominating process. Biden lobbied the party heavily to allow South Carolina to be the first state to hold a primary vote in 2024, which it ultimately did.

Traditionally, Iowa, with its caucus, and New Hampshire, with its primary, have been the first two states to hold votes in the nominating process. But as Democrats have become increasingly focused on skin color in recent years, the party has pushed to allow more "racially-diverse" states to begin the voting process, The Associated Press reported. According to Axios, there was a push from some Democrats to have Nevada lead off the 2028 primary calendar due to the state's high number of Latino voters, but South Carolina got the nod again.

Those in the party who backed South Carolina to lead off the primary voting had previously said that starting the voting in another state would be a "slap in the face" to South Carolina voters, CBS News reported.

Kamala Harris stands to benefit most from South Carolina leading off due to the state's larke black voting population among Democrats, The New York Post reported. Harris has yet to declare her 2028 candidacy, which would be her third run for president, but is seen as the the party's frontrunner at this stage. Political pundit Chris Cillizza described South Carolina voting first as "a huge 2028 advantage" for Harris.

Election officials in New Hampshire didn't take kindly to the news. “New Hampshire will follow its law and 106-year-old tradition of holding the First-in-the-Nation Presidential Primary,” Secretary of State David M. Scanlan said in a statement, according to The New York Post. In April 2024, New Hampshire held its own primary with Biden as the only candidate.