The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is gearing up for one of its most consequential—and contentious—decisions in years: how to set the presidential primary calendar for 2028. As party leaders, activists, and would-be candidates descend on Minneapolis for the DNC’s summer meeting, the battle among states to claim a coveted early spot in the nominating process is already in full swing. According to The Hill and NewsBreak, this behind-the-scenes wrangling is set to "explode" as the DNC faces mounting pressure to finalize the rules that will shape the next presidential contest.
At the heart of the debate is a simple but thorny question: which states should have the greatest influence in picking the party’s next nominee? The answer could determine not just who wins, but what kind of candidate the Democrats put forward in 2028. As Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), a newly elected member of the DNC’s powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee, put it, “Candidates are going to be strategic, and the calendar is a big factor for them. People need to know, we’ve already got people campaigning.”
Over the summer of 2025, the parade of potential contenders has been impossible to ignore. South Carolina has played host to more than half a dozen presidential hopefuls, while New Hampshire has welcomed the likes of Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and California Rep. Ro Khanna have made appearances in Nevada, and even Iowa—long considered out of favor—has seen visits from Gallego and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The message is clear: the fight for early-state status is on, and the stakes are higher than ever.
All this activity is putting enormous pressure on the DNC to move quickly. DNC Chair Ken Martin, according to NewsBreak, has told committee members he wants the primary calendar sorted out as soon as possible—ideally by the end of 2025 or early 2026—so that candidates have clarity on the “rules of the road.” Behind the scenes, state boosters are planning meetings and informal lobbying sessions, hoping to sway the expanded Rules and Bylaws Committee, which now includes 16 newly elected seats. As Trav Robertson, the former South Carolina Democratic Party chair, observed, “It’ll be very, very interesting to see this thing get started again. … Who is aggressive, who is more subtle, [and] do alliances form?”
Officially, the DNC insists that the process will be “fair, rigorous, and transparent.” DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman said in a statement, “All states will have an opportunity to participate.” Yet, as NewsBreak reports, the reality is a frenzied scramble among states to privately lobby for their cause—even before formal discussions have begun. “A lot of these [early state] folks will be having conversations over drinks at the hotel bar with various [DNC] members during the next few days,” Robertson added.
The roots of this chaos stretch back to 2022, when then-President Joe Biden upended the traditional order by elevating South Carolina to first place, adding Michigan, and eliminating Iowa from the early window after its disastrous 2020 caucuses. New Hampshire, citing state law that requires it to hold the first-in-the-nation primary, defied the DNC by running its own unsanctioned contest in 2024. The resulting standoff led Biden to bypass the state’s primary entirely—though, in a twist, he ultimately won by a write-in campaign. This bitter feud has left the 2028 calendar wide open, with every early state fighting to stay relevant or rise in the order.
Each state brings its own arguments to the table. South Carolina, which leapfrogged to the front in 2024, touts its significant Black population and small size—attributes that align with the DNC’s stated priorities. “We are proceeding as first in the nation,” said Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party. “We’ll start meeting and discussing the calendar, but candidates are used to coming here,” she added, emphasizing the state’s two-decade run as the first-in-the-South contest.
Nevada, meanwhile, is mounting an aggressive campaign to claim the top spot. Its backers point to its racially and ethnically diverse electorate, union-heavy workforce, and status as a battleground state. “Making Nevada first is a strategic decision for national Democrats, given the party’s need to invest in winning back working class and Latino voters. We are also the only state that fits the DNC’s criteria of diverse, small, accessible and a battleground state,” argued Molly Forgey, an adviser to the Nevada Democratic Party. Nevada plans to “ramp up our conversations with members about Nevada next week.”
New Hampshire, for its part, is not going quietly. Despite the DNC’s attempts to demote it, state law and local pride have kept its first-in-the-nation status fiercely defended. “We expect these conversations will happen throughout this week and continue on as the RBC decides on a process that gives each state an equal playing field,” said Ray Buckley, chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, in a statement to NewsBreak. The state continues to draw visits from would-be candidates and remains a pivotal stop for those seeking to prove their mettle with independent voters.
Even Iowa, once the traditional kickoff state, is searching for a way back into the process. The Iowa Democratic Party recently surveyed its voters about possibly defying the DNC and holding an unsanctioned caucus. “That starts now with our conversations with the DNC about the shortcomings of the Biden calendar and with our fellow Iowa Democrats who are ready to lead the party and the country out of the hole that Republicans have dug for us,” said Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.
Underlying all this maneuvering is the reality that the Democratic Party, especially when out of power, is more a collection of interests and factions than a tightly run organization. As The Hill observed, “A party without the presidency, especially with no majorities in Congress, is a rudderless ship.” With no clear leader, the nomination process itself becomes the primary tool for shaping the party’s identity and direction. The DNC’s control over the order and method of nominating contests gives it significant, if fleeting, power to influence the next generation of Democratic leaders.
The trend in recent years has been toward frontloading—moving more states into the early window and compressing the calendar so that the nomination is decided faster. After the drawn-out battle of 2008, Democrats have increasingly favored a “super Super Tuesday,” with California joining the early contests in 2024. But as The Hill warns, a tighter calendar magnifies the consequences of any missteps in early state selection.
As the DNC’s summer meeting unfolds, one thing is clear: the fight for the 2028 calendar is not just about dates and geography. It’s about the soul of the Democratic Party, the voices that will be heard first, and the kind of candidate who will emerge to take on the opposition. The clock is ticking, and the decisions made in the coming months will reverberate far beyond the party’s Minneapolis gathering.
With the stakes this high, Democrats know they can’t afford to get it wrong. The road to the White House in 2028 may still be unpaved, but the battle over where it begins is already shaping up to be one for the ages.
