Outlet reports Democrats moved to make South Carolina the first 2028 presidential primary state, displacing Iowa and New Hampshire

South Carolina is reportedly being positioned by Democrats to host the first presidential primary of the 2028 election cycle, according to a report published Friday by the New York Post. The outlet described the move as a potential advantage for a prospective third White House bid by Vice President Kamala Harris, though it did not provide documentary evidence in the report itself of when or how the change would be implemented.

The report says Democrats would “dethrone” Iowa and New Hampshire from their familiar roles as the opening states in the nominating calendar, with South Carolina emerging as the first contest. It frames the adjustment as a significant procedural step for party-run presidential primaries and caucuses, which can shift candidate strategy, media attention, and the order in which states allocate attention and delegates early in the cycle.

While party rules can be adjusted through internal Democratic processes, the practical implications of moving a state to the front of the primary order extend beyond timing. Early primaries can influence how campaigns allocate resources, how quickly they test messaging with voters and local party organizations, and when delegates from the earliest contests become available to shape subsequent competition.

The New York Post story does not appear, on its face, to include a publicly verifiable primary-source artifact such as an official Democratic National Committee calendar document, a state filing, or a binding party rule update. It also does not cite an official federal filing or an election administration document that would confirm the new order as a matter of record.

The next step, if Democrats pursue a formal change, would be publication or adoption of the updated primary calendar through the relevant party mechanisms and state election authorities. Absent a primary-source calendar update, the reported change remains a claim of intent attributed to the outlet, not a confirmed, enforceable schedule.

A separate consideration is how any change interacts with the legal and administrative requirements governing state elections and party rules. Presidential primaries are run by states under state election codes, while party nomination processes depend on national party rules for delegate allocation; a shift in “first” status typically requires both sets of conditions to align in time for the 2028 cycle.