The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced on July 24, 2026, that its Rules and Bylaws Committee (RBC) had voted to select the first six states for the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating calendar. Those states and their proposed primary dates are as follows:
- South Carolina : Jan. 22, 2028
- Nevada : Feb. 1, 2028
- New Hampshire : Feb. 8, 2028
- New Mexico : Feb. 15, 2028
- Michigan : Feb. 22, 2028
- Virginia : Feb. 29, 2028
The full DNC will vote on the proposal at its summer meeting in mid-August. The proposal follows a months-long process of states applying for the early primary dates, aiming to increase their influence on the candidate selection process by holding their respective primaries earlier in the election cycle. Twelve states applied for the early primary window by the deadline on Jan. 16, 2026.