# Democratic leaders tout S.C. voting power ahead of 2028 primary calendar fight  
**Published:** 2026-06-02T09:00:22.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/democrats-point-to-scs-early-voting-records-in-pitch-to-stay-first-in-2028/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/democratic-leaders-tout-s-c-voting-power-ahead-of-2028-primary-calendar-fight

Democratic leaders are using South Carolina's record early voting turnout as ammunition in their push to keep the state first in line for the 2028 presidential primary. Democratic leaders in a handful of southern states are lobbying for South Carolina to reprise its role as the party's first-in-the-nation state to cast primary ballots in 2028, arguing that the state best represents the initial playing field for presidential candidates to build the coalitions needed to win.

Of the 56,400 ballots cast Tuesday — far and above the previous record of 23,000 votes cast on a single day of early voting — more than 80% came from Democrats, according to state voting data. The surge came in response to GOP efforts to redraw congressional districts, helping defeat a redistricting proposal that targeted U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's district.

The [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/democrats-point-to-scs-early-voting-records-in-pitch-to-stay-first-in-2028/) reports that at a Blue Palmetto fundraising dinner and Clyburn's fish fry on Friday night, U.S. Reps. Jim Clyburn, whose district Republicans sought to flip, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear came a day after South Carolina's Democratic Party chair made a pitch for why South Carolina should retain its spot as first in the nation on the Democratic Party's nominating calendar.

"Thank you for the miracle you pulled off in this state," Khanna told nearly 900 people at the annual fundraising dinner. "If South Carolina can show this country what it means to stand up for freedom, then the (Democratic National Convention) can show South Carolina what it means to be the first in the South," Khanna added. He later told reporters he would also support the state party's efforts to keep South Carolina's first-in-the-nation status, as pitched Thursday to a panel of Democratic National Convention members.

Two Southern states should fall in the early voting window, and South Carolina should be the first of those, Beshear told reporters.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee approved the principles and process to determine the 2028 Democratic Presidential Nominating Calendar. Applications for those states seeking to become one of the four or five states in the pre-primary window will be due in January. The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee will use three criteria—Rigorousness, Efficiency, and Fairness — in selecting the early primary states. South Carolina is among a dozen states vying for early primary spots. Among those in contention are neighboring North Carolina and Georgia.

South Carolina's voters, who encompass a diverse cross-section of people, are a blueprint for Democrats nationwide, Spain told the panel. The state is "big enough to test candidates and small enough for voters to actually meet them," she said. As the first southern state to hold its primary, South Carolina has been the initial gauge of a candidate's ability to appeal to Black voters, who play an outsized role among the state's Democratic voters.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/democrats-point-to-scs-early-voting-records-in-pitch-to-stay-first-in-2028/)
- [South Carolina Democratic Party Chair's Statement on the 2028 Presidential Nominating Calendar](https://scdp.org/scdp-news/south-carolina-democratic-party-chairs-statement-on-the-2028-presidential-nominating-calendar-and-early-states-selection-process/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/02/repub/democrats-point-to-scs-early-voting-records-in-pitch-to-stay-first-in-2028/.