Before they can name their next presidential nominee, Democrats will have to decide which state will weigh in first. In 2022, President Joe Biden forced a shake-up of the 2024 election calendar, moving South Carolina’s primary ahead of contests in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada. Officials in those traditionally four early-voting states are now positioning themselves to get top billing nearly two years before the Democratic National Committee solidifies the order. Others may make a play, too. It’s a fraught choice for a party already wrestling with questions about its direction after losing November’s White House election to Republican Donald Trump. Each state offers advantages to different candidates and elevates — or diminishes — different parts of the Democratic base. For now, 2028 prospects are making early-state visits, giving a glimpse into what they may see as their own path to the nomination. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was the keynote speaker at a dinner last month for New Hampshire Democrats, visiting a majority white state known for its engaged electorate and independent streak. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, the state’s first Black governor, will appear later this month at a similar party event in South Carolina, where Black voters are the party’s most influential voting group. Pete Buttigieg will join a VoteVets Action Fund gathering in Iowa on Tuesday, marking the former presidential candidate’s first public in-person event since leaving his post as Biden’s transportation secretary. Buttigieg performed well in the 2020 caucuses, which were marred by technical glitches that prevented the declaration of a winner. Iowa looks past snub for ‘fair’ shot in 2028 Biden and others pushed to open the 2024 cycle with a more diverse state than traditional leadoff Iowa, which is 90% white, according to census data. Gone was a five-decade institution of Iowa Democrats engaging in a one-night spectacle where community members publicly signaled their support for a candidate. Last year, they held caucuses eight days before any other state’s contest, as is required by Iowa law. But Democratic voters had cast their 2024 presidential preference ballots by mail, with results released that March on Super Tuesday alongside other states. Biden “picked the calendar that worked for him,” said Scott Brennan, who serves on the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee and previously chaired the Iowa Democratic Party. “When you’re the president, you can do those things. But I don’t know that people in Iowa thought it was very fair.” For now, Iowa Democratic leaders emphasize that their focus is on the 2026 election, when two of Iowa’s four congressional districts will be competitive opportunities to unseat Republicans. Democrats have recently struggled on all electoral fronts in Iowa and have significantly diminished party registration numbers, which some blamed on the loss of the caucuses. But Brennan said many Iowa Democrats continue to believe that the presidential nominating process is well served by Iowa’s early role in it, even if the 2028 format is up in the air. “We took everyone at their word that all bets are off for 2028,” Brennan said. “We expect that there will be a fair process and that we will be given every consideration to be an early state.” Former U.S. Rep. Dave Nagle was more blunt in proposing that the state party commit to first-in-the-nation status regardless, as he did as chair in 1984 when the national party threatened to upend Iowa and New Hampshire’s delegate selection […]