Elected officials, advocates, strategists, and Democrats across the country continue to express support for the 2028 early presidential nominating window after the full DNC approved the calendar at its summer meeting this weekend. The calendar is being lauded for its historic racial and geographic diversity, commitment to maintaining an affordable, open field, and its ability to battle-test candidates to ensure Democrats’ strongest possible nominee to take back the White House in 2028.
Here’s what they’re saying about the DNC’s approved 2028 early nominating window:
In Print:
Associated Press: Democrats’ 2028 presidential calendar gives Black and Latino voters and union members an early say [Mike Catalini and Bill Barrow, 8/15/26]
- “Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination in 2028 will need to prove themselves early on in states where Black and Latino voters and union members are key supporters, under an election-year calendar approved Saturday. […]
- “With Nevada and New Mexico following, that will require candidates to court more Latino voters early in the process. […]
- “Unions will get a spotlight in the early-voting states. Nevada has the service industry unions because of Las Vegas; Michigan has the auto industry and associated manufacturing support industries; Virginia is home to more federal workers than any other state. […]
- “Beyond seeking the backing of organized labor, the campaigns and the party will look to unions for help in spreading Democrats’ message to voters and getting people to the polls.”
New York Times Opinion: What It Will Take to Win the 2028 Democratic Presidential Nomination [David Plouffe, 8/17/26]
- “Candidates who appeal only narrowly to, say, upper-income white progressives, older voters or university communities will lose. Black voters will be the most important group to court — but even candidates who start the nominating year with strong Black support will have trouble if they fail to add consistently to their coalition as they traverse this political obstacle course. […]
- “Winning Michigan will require some coalition building across the state’s metro areas, the many blue-collar and red counties, and Black voters.”
Politico: Democrats finalize 2028 calendar that moves racially diverse states to the front [Lisa Kashinsky, 8/15/26]
- “Democrats’ new calendar is designed to give more voice to traditionally Democratic voting blocs who’ve shifted right in recent years. Members of the panel tasked with drafting the calendar had fiercely debated between South Carolina and Nevada for the top slot as they searched for ways to shore up Black Democratic power in the South after the Supreme Court moved to gut the Voting Rights Act, while also amplifying Latino and working-class voters in a top battleground. […]
- “The calendar they settled on attempts to do both by putting those states at the front of the line and adding two more with similar demographic makeups to the early window: New Mexico and Virginia.”
CBS News: Democrats officially set their 2028 primary calendar, with South Carolina going first [Zak Hudak, Sophia Vlahakis, 8/15/26]
- “Democrats on Saturday approved a new presidential nominating calendar for 2028, cementing South Carolina’s place as the first official Democratic primary state, as the party looks to elevate states that better reflect its diverse coalition of voters. […]
- “Strategists say the new calendar gives greater influence to Black and Latino voters, who make up key parts of the Democratic coalition.”
NBC News: Democrats officially set their 2028 primary calendar, with South Carolina going first [Natasha Korecki, 8/15/26]
- “Democrats teed up South Carolina to lead a six-state gantlet of early presidential contests, sealing a 2028 road map that pushes Black and Latino voters and labor to the front of the line for choosing the party’s next national leader. […]
- “After discussions Saturday in Texas, the Democratic National Committee formally anointed South Carolina, with its large African American primary electorate, as the first-in-the-nation state. It will be followed by Nevada, with high numbers of Latinos and powerful labor interests. Next up are New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and then Virginia.”
Washington Post: Democrats approve 2028 primary calendar that puts South Carolina first [Sammy Westfall, 8/15/26]
- “South Carolina voters will cast the first ballots in the 2028 Democratic presidential contest under a plan approved Saturday by the Democratic National Committee that aims to give a bigger voice to Black and Latino voters in the process of picking the nominee for the White House. […]
- “Advocates of South Carolina voting first made the case that the state’s large number of Black voters deserved the honor of the earliest vote because of their significance to the party overall. […]
- “Officials including former DNC chair Donna Brazile cited the Supreme Court’s dismantling of Voting Rights Act protections for minority voters in advocating for South Carolina to hold the first primary. […]
- “Democrats in the West made a similar case for Nevada, highlighting its diverse electorate of Latino, Black, Asian American and Pacific Islanders, and Native American voters.”
Scripps News: Democrats keep South Carolina first, emphasizing diversity in early primaries [Justin Boggs, 8/15/26]
- “Democrats again chose South Carolina to lead the 2028 primary calendar, saying the lineup better reflects the nation’s racial diversity. […]
- “The party said its goal was to have a “battle-tested nominee” with experience in key battleground states and among a broad range of voters needed to win back the White House. […]
- “In addition to diversity, the party said it considered the geographic size of states and the affordability of advertising in early states. The goal, the party said, is to prevent candidates from winning solely on name recognition.”
On the airwaves:
- On CBS’s Face the Nation, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear: “This schedule, I think, is going to make any candidate get out and earn it. I’m happy that there are two southern states in South Carolina and Virginia, because if the Democratic Party is going to be competitive in the future, we have to be competitive in places like Kentucky, in places like the South. Now, for too long, Southern Democrats have been overlooked, left out, sometimes even looked down upon. But look at what we’ve done. We now have three Southern Democratic governors. Georgia gave us two Southern Democratic U.S. senators, and Roy Cooper in North Carolina is about to be a third. Keisha Lance Bottoms is going to be the next governor of Georgia. We have scrapped our way back to the table, and I believe that the DNC saw the importance of the South. I mean, you certainly have to win in the Midwest, which is Michigan. I think Nevada shows how important our Hispanic and Latino population are. In the end, this says you got to win in big states, in small states, in all regions of the country. It’ll make sure that we have a nominee that could be a good president for the entire United States.”
- On CNN Newsroom, CNN Senior Political Analyst and Bloomberg Columnist Ron Brownstein: “So now you have a much more racially diverse calendar with South Carolina and Nevada leading off. And you also have a calendar, Fred, that I think is very — is considered by people in both kind of wings of the party to be very well balanced between left and center.”
- On CNN This Morning Weekend, Bloomberg Opinion Columnist Mary Ellen Klas: “Well, I think it’s a really bold move by the DNC. I mean, they’re breaking out of a tradition that they’ve grown out of for quite a while. […] But moving up Nevada and New Mexico is really a signal that they are working to try and expand the influence of Black and Latino voters.”
On Social Media:
- Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, DNC Vice Chair: “This is historic. Today we at @thedemocrats voted to approve the most competitive and diverse 2028 primary calendar, and it tells the story of who we are. South Carolina, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, Virginia. Every type of community has a seat at the table. LFG!”
- Governor Abigail Spanberger: “As we always say: as goes Virginia, so goes the nation. Which is why I am thrilled Virginia is officially an early voting state on the 2028 Democratic presidential primary calendar! Across our communities, Virginia embodies the diversity and resiliency of America, and we’re ready to welcome candidates ready to earn our votes.”
- Rep. Robert Garcia: “Congrats to the DNC for selecting a primary calendar that reflects the diversity of America. And let’s be clear: Black voters, especially Black women, have always been our most loyal and dedicated voters. South Carolina deserves to go first.”
- Former Rep. Mondaire Jones: “This is the right result. The Democratic primary schedule should reflect the racially and economically diverse electorate required to win the general.”
- Cristóbal Alex, RBC Member: “Democrats just made history – voting for a new early presidential calendar. Six great states with geographic balance and incredible diversity that centers the very same voters that have been under attack. The calendar will serve as a crucible for our next presidential nominee so we can win back the White House. Congrats to the @TheDemocrats and chairman @kenmartin73!”
- John W. McCarthy, DNC Member and Democratic Strategist: “Democrats now have a path to change the direction of our country and reclaim the White House. The DNC just approved a calendar that gives our bench the chance to compete, reach the key communities that make up our coalition, and build a party ready to win. 🚨 DEMS IN ARRAY! 🚨”
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