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by MARK POWELL
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Prepare for a parade of potential Democrat presidential candidates to descend on the Palmetto State very soon. Because when it comes to starting its primary nominating process, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) still believes nothin’ could be finer than to be in Carolina. And in doing so, it has created another self-inflicted intraparty mess, too.
The DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted Friday (July 24, 2026) to let South Carolina keep its coveted first-in-the-nation spot. It bested its closest rival, Nevada, for the honor. The 26-to-4 vote was a triumph for Identity Politics, with racial factors openly at play in the decision.
For decades, New Hampshire had begun the presidential candidate selection process with the nation’s opening primary. But calls began building within the Democrat Party that the Granite’s State’s population was “too white” to play such an influential role in determining the standard-bearer of a party that relies heavily on minority voters.
Add to that New Hampshire Democrats never particularly liked Joe Biden, flat out rejecting him in the 2008 and 2020 primaries there. To avoid repeating that humiliation as an incumbent president seeking reelection in 2024, he demanded the party shift its opening round elsewhere – and the DNC was only too happy to oblige. South Carolina was thus rewarded for its critical role in saving Biden’s electoral bacon in 2020.
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Biden may have exited stage left, but the “New Hampshire is too white” argument within the DNC hasn’t gone anywhere. Twelve states competed for the honor next time around, New Hampshire being a top contender along with Iowa, Nevada, and South Carolina.
Nevada gave South Carolina the strongest run for its money, arguing Latino voters are the future, and setting the primary shebang in motion in the Silver State would send a powerful message to them.
Leading black Democrats weren’t buying it. South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain pushed back especially hard, telling The New York Times, “If Nevada gets elevated over South Carolina, it would be because of their Latino vote. So, you would then be telling black voters that you matter less than brown voters.”
Reverend Al Sharpton, never one to let a race-related headline opportunity pass him by, was even more blunt.
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RELATED | SC KEEPS ‘FIRST IN THE SOUTH’
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“To turn around now and push South Carolina to the back of the line would be a slap in the face to the very voters who’ve kept this party alive,” Sharpton said.
Black Democrats are among the party’s most loyal voters. In the end, the Rules and Bylaws Committee decided to not risk rocking the boat and played it safe by sticking with South Carolina.
And that should have been that. Except, it isn’t…
New Hampshire’s state law explicitly requires its primary be held first. Period. The statute says, “the presidential primary election shall be held on the second Tuesday in March or on a date selected by the secretary of state which is seven days or more immediately preceding the date on which any other state shall hold a similar election, whichever is earlier.”
“The purpose of this section is to protect the tradition of the New Hampshire first-in-the-nation presidential primary,” the statute makes clear.
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Biden’s mandate that New Hampshire be stripped of firing the opening primary pistol in 2024 turned into political quicksand for Democrats there. New Hampshire dutifully scheduled its primary, unsanctioned by the DNC, before South Carolina’s. When Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips entered the race for the nomination, Biden suddenly faced the real possibility of losing the very primary he was intentionally ignoring. That thrust Democrat leaders into the awkward position of urging the party faithful to write-in Biden’s name… in the same primary he was boycotting!
(He won, incidentally).
Now Democrats are poised for a clumsy repeat performance in two years. In June, the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee significantly strengthened penalties for both states that hold unauthorized presidential contests and any candidates who participate in them.
But consider this: If the past is a guide, New Hampshire will likely stubbornly go ahead and schedule its primary first. If a very crowded field emerges as expected, candidates will be tripping all over themselves campaigning down here. But New Hampshire will still be tempting for some presidential aspirants. Because the bulk of its population is just a 90-minute drive from Boston, whose TV market blankets all of Democratic vote-rich New England. That would be a hard allure for candidates who are trailing in the polls to pass up.
Meaning the Democratic Party’s primary cops are going to have their hands full enforcing the new primary schedule and its associated edicts – which is immensely delightful to the folks watching in amusement over at the Republican National Committee.
BANNER VIA: GETTY IMAGES
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
J. Mark Powell is an award-winning former TV journalist, government communications veteran, and a political consultant. He is also an author and an avid Civil War enthusiast. Got a tip or a story idea for Mark? Email him at mark@fitsnews.com.
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