Voters file into Chavis Community Center in Raleigh to vote. (Photo by Clayton Henkel/NC Newsline)
North Carolina Democrats are making a bid to host the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in 2028 and usurp the title from South Carolina. But obstacles remain, including a Republican-controlled General Assembly that will need convincing before signing onto a potentially expensive early primary.
The state so far is one of 12 finalists picked by the Democratic National Committee to make their case in May for holding their primary before Super Tuesday, the first Tuesday in March, when the largest share of voters weigh in.
In seeking first-in-the-nation status North Carolina is going up against Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. It would be a massive change for a state that held its primary in May as recently as the 2012 election.
North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said in an interview that the party should choose the state to empower Black voters and to recognize its history as a “beacon of the Civil Rights movement.”
“I think that North Carolina represents the true version of the Democratic Party,” Clayton said. “Investing in a state like North Carolina, especially for the Democratic Party, is not only righting wrongs of our party’s past, but it’s also making the case to people that the South is truly important, not just for the next two to four years, but for the next 20 years.”
She also noted that in 2028, North Carolina will have 22 statewide races on the ballot — the most in the country — and an early primary would bring a highly beneficial national focus and investment. “For me, this is about making sure that we have the resources to evenly compete.”
The DNC will select four to five states for the pre-Super Tuesday window, with at least one from the East, West, South, and Midwest. North Carolina will compete against Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina to lead the South, a spot that South Carolina held for years before receiving the first-in-the-nation primary in 2024.
Dr. Michael BitzerMichael Bitzer, a professor of politics and history at Catawba College, said North Carolina has an advantage as a proving ground for primary candidates in that it is among the most competitive and crucial swing states in the nation.
“It is certainly not surprising that political parties view this state so highly,” Bitzer said. “With increased electoral college counts, with potentially competitive statewide dynamics, North Carolina is seen as a prize get.”
Ahead of the 2016 election, some North Carolina lawmakers sought to become fifth in the nation but ultimately settled for a March 15 date. The primary moved ahead again for the 2020 election to vote on Super Tuesday.
But jumping the line once more will require approval not only from the DNC but also from the General Assembly, whose Republican leadership have signaled that they remain unconvinced.
“We have started the conversation, and I’m hopeful that Republicans would see this as a good economic opportunity for the state,” Clayton said.
She cited the money that high-profile presidential candidates would bring to the state by filling stadiums and university auditoriums on the campaign trail. Clayton added that they hope to receive confirmation from Republicans in the General Assembly that they would consider a date change ahead of the May presentation.
Demi Dowdy, a spokeswoman for North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall, said in a statement Monday that “the topic has not been seriously discussed at the legislature or with any Democratic Party officials.”
Neal Inman, Hall’s chief of staff, expressed reservations on the logistical challenges of an early primary in a social media post last month. “This would require convincing Republican legislators that the state needs to conduct three primary elections (presidential, everyone else, runoffs) every presidential election year,” he said on X.
Prof. Chris Cooper (Photo: wcu.edu)Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, said the General Assembly would likely only approve an early primary date if national Republicans also agree to move North Carolina up the calendar.
There’s also a financial impediment. Unless North Carolina moved up the primary date for all state races, which introduces challenges on its own, the presidential primary would have to be run on a separate date. More election dates means more taxpayer money spent running those elections, Cooper noted.
“One option is to separate them, which is expensive and complicated. The other option is to move everything up,” Cooper said. “I don’t think any North Carolinian has ever thought, boy, I really wish we had a longer election year.”
Hence then, the article about north carolina democrats want to vote first in the nation in 2028 will the legislature let them was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( North Carolina Democrats want to vote first in the nation in 2028. Will the legislature let them? )
Also on site :
- Russia exposed plot to blow up Black Sea gas pipelines – Putin
- Police: Two killed in shooting at West San Jose shopping center
- OpenAI COO says ‘we have not yet really seen AI penetrate enterprise business processes’