The states fighting to be at the front of Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary

At least a half-dozen states applied to be in the early nominating window for 2028’s Democratic presidential campaign, kicking off a contentious battle for securing an influential perch inside the primary calendar. The usual suspects — New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan, who made up the early states in Democrats’ 2024 primary calendar, though not in the order set out by the Democratic National Committee — are all back, per their state parties. So is Iowa, hoping to reinsert itself into the process after it was bounced four years ago.

Georgia also applied. Virginia and North Carolina are both seriously considering applying, according to three people familiar with the state’s thinking and granted anonymity to describe private conversations, ahead of the deadline later Friday.