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by WILL FOLKS
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South Carolina has retained its decisive position in the Republican presidential nominating process, securing its history-making status as the ‘First in the South’ presidential primary for the 2028 election.
The Republican National Committee (RNC)’s presidential nominating process panel voted this week to keep the same 1-2-3 order that has governed GOP presidential primaries for decades – Iowa’s caucuses followed by New Hampshire’s ‘First in the Nation’ primary followed by South Carolina’s ‘First in the South’ primary.
News of the vote was first reported by Paul Steinhauser of Fox News – and subsequently confirmed to this media outlet by Tyson Grinstead, South Carolina’s Republican national committeeman.
“I can confirm this vote happened yesterday and that I was on the committee,” Grinstead told FITSNews.
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in a subsequent email to party members, Grinstead elaborated on the Palmetto State’s big win.
“Our committee advanced a plan that secures South Carolina’s ‘First in the South’ presidential primary status,” Grinstead wrote. “Barring some unforeseen hurdle, that plan will be approved by the entire RNC this summer.”
“This is a major victory for South Carolina, for our grassroots activists, and for every Republican who believes our state should continue to lead the nation in choosing our nominee,” Grinstead added. “After all, we pick presidents here in South Carolina!”
South Carolina had been expecting a potential primary calendar challenge from Florida, but the Sunshine State wound up supporting Grinstead in his bid to keep the Palmetto State’s place of prominence in the nominating process.
Grinstead was elected GOP committeeman last August – earning a narrow victory over former SCGOP chairman Chad Connelly. During that election, Connelly suggested his seniority was necessary to keep South Carolina’s ‘First in the South’ status.
Clearly, that was not accurate…
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Barring some attempted constitutional chicanery by president Donald Trump, 2028 will mark the first open election for president since 2016 – when Trump upset Hillary Clinton to win his first term in the White House.
With the exception of Newt Gingrich in 2012, South Carolina primary voters have chosen the Republican nominee in every presidential election since 1980 – a streak which includes Trump victories in 2016 and 2024. On the Democratic side, South Carolina was the state that resurrected former president Joe Biden‘s flagging candidacy in 2020 – and propelled Clinton and Barack Obama to their nominations in 2016 and 2008, respectively.
Biden rewarded South Carolina by making it Democrats’ ‘First in the Nation‘ primary in 2024.
South Carolina’s prime position on the nominating calendar means presidential contenders of both parties will flock here over the next two years – courting key supporters and trying to build networks in anticipation of the quadrennial partisan presidential primaries, which will be held in February 2028.
In the last election, Biden won the ‘First in the Nation’ Democrat primary by a North Korean margin – while Trump trounced former S.C. governor Nikki Haley in the 2024 ‘First in the South’ primary en route to winning the White House for a second, non-consecutive term.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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1 comment
“Barring some attempted constitutional chicanery by president Donald Trump”
Which Will Folks will remain steadfastly agnostic about.