SC picks presidents, Joe Biden says, as national Democrats ponder primary order
South Carolina Democrats wanted to say thank you to former President Joe Biden, while reminding national Democrats that the Palmetto State propelled him to the White House.
Biden made his return to South Carolina on Friday, making his first public appearance in the state since his last day in office.
His visit comes as South Carolina Democrats vie to lead off the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating process.
The reception and state party fundraiser celebrated the sixth anniversary of Biden’s 2020 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary win, after he lost the first three nominating contests. The South Carolina primary win led him to the nomination and eventually the White House.
“I knew if I could just get to South Carolina, I mean this sincerely, ... I could win the nomination. And I knew if I won the nomination, I win the presidency, because I knew what Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did before me, South Carolina picks presidents,” Biden said.
During his remarks, Biden touted his administration’s record, including the lowest unemployment rate for Blacks in the U.S., appointing a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, picking a woman vice president, capping insulin costs to $35 a month, connecting homes to high-speed internet, among other achievements.
Ahead of the 2024 nominating process, Biden had the Democratic National Committee kick off the primary order with South Carolina to give Black voters, a key Democratic voting bloc, a greater voice in picking the party’s nominee.
Whether South Carolina remains the first official nominating contest for 2028 remains to be seen as 12 states are vying to be in the early primary window.
While the evening was billed as celebrating Biden, the S.C. Democratic Party made their subtle pitch to be in the early primary window, if not first in the order.
According to Axios, the state party invited senior Democrats who will determine the 2028 primary calendar to the reception. Among those in attendance was Raymond Buckley, the chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. The Granite State has a state law that says it must have the first presidential primary.
“Never, ever underestimate the power of the Deep South. Never underestimate the power of Black voters and never, ever, ever, ever underestimate the power of South Carolina Democrats,” SC Democratic Chairwoman Christale Spain said.
Spain also included a rallying cry to show that the state Democratic Party is investing ahead of the 2026 elections including spending money on voter data, voter protection and recruiting candidates to be on the ballot.
“Democrats in South Carolina and throughout the Deep South for that matter, are building. Here in South Carolina, we are organizing in every county,” Spain said.
“We are not spectators in the story of this country. We are authors of it,” Spain added.
Among the speakers was U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the lone Democrat in South Carolina’s federal delegation, who is credited with helping Biden with the nomination after endorsing the eventual president ahead of the Palmetto State primary.
Since 1992, the winner of the South Carolina Democratic Party in a truly competitive primary process, has gone on to win the nomination, with one exception.
“South Carolina has done it time and time again. And so when people debate what should be our future when it comes to nominating candidates, just look at the record,” Clyburn said.
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 9:08 PM with the headline "SC picks presidents, Joe Biden says, as national Democrats ponder primary order."
