Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is set to headline a Democratic conference in South Carolina as he weighs a potential 2028 presidential bid, putting him in the early spotlight in the state that national Democrats recently selected to kick off the party’s presidential primary calendar.
Buttigieg is scheduled to appear at the event just three days before an expected runoff in the Republican Senate primary, giving him an early opportunity to engage with South Carolina Democrats.
The event comes as Buttigieg, 44, is increasingly being discussed as a potential 2028 contender. Last week, he said he was considering a presidential run, telling Steven Bartlett on an episode of The Diary of a CEO, “I think I’m more inclined than not, but there’s so much we don’t know.”
Early polling suggests Buttigieg would be among the leading contenders if he enters the race. A poll of likely 2028 Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire conducted last month found Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) leading the field with 22% support, followed closely by Buttigieg at 21%.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) received 9%, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) received 8%, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) received 6%, and former Vice President Kamala Harris received 5%.
The poll offers an early glimpse at a contest in which no candidate has formally launched a campaign. It also comes more than 17 months before the first expected Democratic presidential primary in South Carolina.
The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted recently to make South Carolina the first state to hold a 2028 presidential primary.
Under the proposed calendar, South Carolina’s primary would be held Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1, New Hampshire on Feb. 8, New Mexico on Feb. 15, Michigan on Feb. 22, and Virginia on Feb. 29. Super Tuesday is scheduled for March 7.
The full DNC membership is expected to finalize the calendar at its next meeting in Austin, Texas, in August.
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The early positioning comes six years after Buttigieg finished fifth in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Since then, he has remained one of the party’s most prominent potential presidential contenders, serving as transportation secretary under President Joe Biden.
The DNC’s calendar decision has also unfolded amid internal debate over the party’s presidential nominating process, with DNC Chairman Ken Martin urging Democrats to move quickly toward a final decision on the 2028 calendar.