Democrats Schedule South Carolina Primary To Smother Progressives, Again
KEY POINTS
- â˘On July 24, 2026, a DNC panel voted to hold the 2028 presidential primary first in South Carolina, not Nevada.
- â˘Progressives worry this move favors moderates, recalling Bernie Sandersâ double losses in South Carolina in 2016 and 2020.
- â˘The decision reflects party tensions over race, electability, and the struggle to reach Black and Latino voters in upcoming elections.
In a move sure to delight moderate Democrats and terrify progressives, the Democratic National Committee's powerful Rules & Bylaws panel voted on July 24, 2026, to kick off the 2028 presidential primaries in South Carolina, not Nevada where Bernie Sanders scored a win in 2020. This strategically timed slugfest apparently aims to snuff out left-wing insurgents by forcing them to start in a state where Sanders was crushed twice before. Leftist luminaries like socialist writer Branko Marcetic and streamer Hasan Piker have openly cried foul, citing South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburnâs suspected superpower to 'steer the ship.' Meanwhile, South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spainâwho actually worked for Bernieâs 2016 campaignâasserts progressives can thrive with 'retail politics,' aka knocking on doors in the South instead of online echo chambers. All this political kabuki is flavored with a spicy dash of race: Sandersâ two little losses in a state with a significant Black Democratic voter base spark uncomfortable questions about whether progressives can ever break through without alienating older Black voters, especially since his wins mostly came from Latino and young Black voters in places like the Northeast. But hey, a former Sanders aide claims the new calendar might have rendered Sanders 'unstoppable' in 2020, proving once again that in Democratic primary strategy, optimism is a rollercoaster with no exit ramps.
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(1 of 3)Dems put South Carolina first because if crushing progressives in a Black-majority state was their plan, why change the winning formula? Jim Clyburn must be taking notes for his villain origin story.
Remember when primaries were about voters? Now itâs apparently weekly episodes of 'Who Ruins the Left More' staring South Carolina and Jim Clyburn.
If progressives can't win South Carolina, or if you pretend they can't, political theater suddenly sounds a lot like tragicomedy written by a committee.
Source: Axios | Published: 7/26/2026 | Author: Holly Otterbein
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