"Where Will the First Primary Be Held?"... US Democrats Begin Preparations for 2028 Presidential Election

The Democratic Party in the United States has begun the process of selecting the states that will hold the first primary contests for the 2028 presidential election, which is about two years away.

According to the Washington Post on January 31 (local time), the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has decided to review applications from 12 states seeking to host the first primary and finalize the early primary schedule.

President Donald Trump is delivering a greeting at the watch party for the Iowa caucus, the first presidential primary contest of the US Republican Party. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News

Traditionally, the Democratic Party has held a caucus in Iowa and a primary in New Hampshire at the start of the presidential candidate selection process. However, for the 2024 presidential election, the party unusually designated South Carolina as the first primary state. This was a result of then-President Joe Biden's opinion that the first primary should be held in a state that better reflects racial diversity. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 90% of Iowa's population is white.

However, after losing the 2024 presidential election, the Democratic Party plans to completely reconsider the primary schedule for the 2028 election.

In addition to Iowa and South Carolina, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have also applied to host the first Democratic primary. States that hold early primaries not only receive more attention from presidential candidates, but also tend to attract greater financial investment during the campaign process.

The Democratic National Committee plans to review the applicants and select four to five candidate states to hold early primaries by the end of this year. The party's challenge will be to choose regions where it can win back young, Black, and Hispanic male voters who shifted to support President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.

A Democratic Party official stated, "Our goal is to create a schedule that allows the Democratic Party to select the most competitive candidate for the presidential election."