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AUSTIN, Texas — <\/span>Democrats are gathering to finalize their 2028 presidential primary calendar<\/a> this week, setting the stage for a wide open contest to succeed President Donald Trump and chart a path ahead as the party’s voters oscillate between progressive and more moderate candidates. <\/p>\n The Democratic National Committee is expected to vote at its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, on the new order that frontloads states with more diverse populations. <\/p>\n The meeting comes ahead of bitterly contested midterm elections that will decide control of Congress later this year. Democratic voters have delivered mixed messages on the direction they want to see the party go \u2014 backing candidates viewed as more left-wing<\/a> as well as moderates<\/a> in consequential primaries across several states.<\/p>\n The group also is convening at a time of internal turmoil, with some members calling for DNC Chairman Ken Martin<\/a> to be replaced. Critics have questioned Martin’s leadership decisions and the party’s fundraising, which lags well behind Republicans just months before the crucial midterms. <\/p>\n The party is expected to give final approval to a calendar that has South Carolina’s primary first on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would round out the early states, voting throughout February. <\/p>\n The overhaul shows Democrats\u2019 effort to give greater influence to states reflecting the party\u2019s coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters. It follows years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates.<\/p>\n The proposed calendar would cement South Carolina at the start of the calendar, reflecting a change former President Joe Biden pushed for after that state revived his struggling 2020 campaign.<\/p>\n South Carolina has long been the first Southern contest and has served as a key test of candidates\u2019 support among Black voters.<\/p>\n Iowa and New Hampshire officials have expressed disappointment with the decision after the early approval at a committee meeting in July. Rita Hart, the Iowa Democratic Party chair, said it was a sign the party is \u201cout of touch with voters.\u201d <\/p>\n New Hampshire congressional leaders, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, said the decision was wrong for their state and the country. New Hampshire’s secretary of state is required by law to schedule its presidential primary at least seven days before any other state holds a similar contest, setting up a potential conflict with the DNC calendar.<\/p>\n The GOP still needs to draw up its calendar. Republicans are expected to stick with their traditional early-state lineup led off by Iowa and New Hampshire.<\/p>\n Democratic primaries already have been testing which direction the party is headed in, through races in states such as Michigan, Minnesota<\/a> and Wisconsin. <\/p>\n While there’s been a split between more progressive candidates who buck the party’s establishment and those with more moderate views who have backing from party officials, the common thread is that Democratic voters have been looking for change<\/a>. <\/p>\n Republicans, confronting high prices<\/a> and the president’s sagging approval<\/a>, have been eager to cast the party as moving too far to the left.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the DNC’s leadership and financial concerns continue. <\/p>\n