South Carolina Democrats, poised to play a major role in 2028, say they want a coalition builder

The 2028 presidential primary is years away, but the Democratic Party’s leadership and messaging struggles are defining it right now. As the party continues to grapple with what comes next, the Palmetto State is uniquely positioned to set the tone of the conversation.

South Carolina Democrat Lynn Ramirez has a decent track record of picking her party’s eventual presidential nominee. Though she backed former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg over President Joe Biden in the 2020 primary, the 64-year-old Simpsonville resident said she voted for President Barack Obama in 2008 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016. The next Democrat to win her vote needs to be capable of reaching everyday Americans — a coalition builder. “I think South Carolina is looking for a person of the people, that can speak to the people without lowering and debasing themselves, like the current administration seems to be doing,” Ramirez, a retired public health worker, said during an interview at the state party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner on Friday. “Speak to hope and promise and prospects, as opposed to unfounded fears and divisiveness.” The 2028 presidential primary is years away, but the Democratic Party’s leadership and messaging struggles are defining it now. As the party continues to grapple with what comes next, the Palmetto State is uniquely positioned to set the tone of the conversation. For years South Carolina Democrats have played an outsize, and often decisive, role in presidential primaries, whittling down the field after the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. In 2028, depending on how the party organizes its calendar, South Carolina Democrats could be called on to serve a similar role, boosting the candidate they deem best suited to rebuild the party and win back the White House.