Democrats look to states with Black, Latino voters to build momentum in 2028

By Fredreka Schouten, CNN

AUSTIN (CNN) — Democrats on Saturday adopted a 2028 presidential primary schedule that moves states with sought-after diverse populations to the front of a calendar that will shape their party’s fight to win the White House.

Democratic National Committee members gave final approval to six early voting states, with South Carolina, which has a substantial Black population, continuing to kick off the party’s nominating contests on January 22, 2028.

Nevada, a western presidential battleground, will follow on February 1. The four other early voting states are New Hampshire on February 8, New Mexico on February 15, Michigan on February 22 and Virginia on February 29. The calendar removes Iowa from the early lineup.

In choosing to include Nevada and New Mexico in the early contests, the party has frontloaded the calendar with states that have large contingents of Latino voters, a group that President Donald Trump made inroads with during the 2024 presidential election.

In an interview with CNN, DNC chairman Ken Martin hailed the calendar as “the most diverse” in the party’s history.

“It’s going to battle-test our nominee with key parts of our coalition and key parts of the country in a way that we’ve never seen before,” he said.

The vote, on the final day of the DNC’s summer meeting, comes amid a midterm primary election season that has seen Democratic voters swing between progressive insurgents and moderate candidates — an internal struggle over the party’s direction that likely will loom over the crowded race for the White House.

Martin, who has faced criticism of his leadership of the DNC and stewardship of its finances, insisted that those ideological differences should not divide Democrats as they barrel toward this November’s high-stakes midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.

“We are a big tent party,” the party chief told a gathering of the DNC women’s caucus on the opening day of the meeting Thursday. “And as long as I’m the chair, we’re going to continue to be.”

“Everybody Is welcomed in this party,” Martin said to strong applause and hoots of approval from those assembled in a ballroom at a Hilton hotel in downtown Austin.

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