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South Carolina Puts Black Voters in the Driver Seat for 2028

ATLANTA TRIBUNE THE MAGAZINE — The Democratic Party’s decision to designate South Carolina as the first 2028 presidential primary offers Black voters a historic opportunity. This shift means Black voters will play a leading role in determining which presidential candidates gain momentum and which campaigns falter before most Democrats have the chance to cast their primary votes.
The post South Carolina Puts Black Voters in the Driver Seat for 2028 appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 months ago

July 30, 2026

Oakland Post

The Democratic Party’s decision to elevate South Carolina as the first 2028 presidential primary provides Black voters with an historic opportunity.

Black voters will play a leading role in determining which presidential candidates gain momentum and which campaigns collapse before most Democrats even have a chance to vote in the primary.

Candidates seeking the 2028 nomination will now have to organize in Black communities early. They will need relationships with local leaders, churches, civic organizations, historically Black colleges and universities, small businesses and rural communities.

Their records will be scrutinized on voting rights, health disparities, education, economic mobility, criminal justice and the survival of Black institutions.

Black voters will vote based on which candidate speaks directly to their concerns, rather than on a political calculation about who is most electable after Iowa and New Hampshire have already picked over the candidates.

With South Carolina, Democrats are now moving the nominating calendar closer to Black voters who are actually the party’s center of gravity.

This decision reflects nearly two decades of election results showing Southern Black voters have been central to selecting Democratic presidential nominees despite being placed later in the nominating process.

Barack Obama’s 2008 Iowa caucus victory established that a Black candidate could win in a predominantly white state. But Black South Carolinians solidified the coalition that actually carried Obama to the nomination and ultimately the presidency.

More than 530,000 votes were cast in the state’s Democratic primary. Obama received approximately 295,000 votes, or 55 percent, compared with about 141,000 votes, or 27 percent, for Hillary Clinton. John Edwards, a former senator from neighboring North Carolina, finished a distant third.

The delegate result was nearly as decisive. Obama won 25 of South Carolina’s pledged delegates, Clinton won 12, and Edwards won eight. In other words, Obama left South Carolina with more delegates than his two leading opponents combined.

Exit polling explains how he did it. Black voters constituted roughly 55 percent of the primary electorate, and nearly eight in 10 supported Obama. He also won Black voters across age, income and educational groups, demonstrating that his appeal extended far beyond younger or more affluent African Americans.

Eight years later, Black voters in South Carolina delivered an even more lopsided result for Clinton.

In the 2016 primary, Clinton won approximately 272,000 votes, or 73.5 percent, while Bernie Sanders received about 96,000 votes, or 26 percent. Clinton won 39 pledged delegates to Sanders’s 14, giving her almost three-fourths of the state’s available pledged delegates.

Black voters accounted for roughly six in 10 participants in that primary. Exit polls found that Clinton won close to nine in 10 of them. Sanders performed substantially better among white voters and younger voters, but those advantages could not overcome Clinton’s strength with the state’s much larger Black electorate.

By the end of the primary season, Clinton had secured more than 1,800 pledged delegates even before automatic delegates were included in the count. Like Obama, Clinton’s coalition was built through commanding victories among Black voters in the South.

Joe Biden arrived in South Carolina in 2020 with a campaign on the brink of failure. He had finished fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire and second in Nevada. Before South Carolina, Biden had won only 15 pledged delegates across the first three contests.

Then Black voters changed the race.

Biden won all 46 counties and captured 39 of South Carolina’s 54 pledged delegates. Exit polls found that Black voters made up a majority of the electorate and supported Biden over Sanders by approximately 4-to-1.

A Biden campaign that had appeared close to collapse after New Hampshire had become the nomination frontrunner in less than two weeks.

From 2008 to 2020, Black voters were the constituency that crowned the eventual nominee. Only in Iowa with Obama did Black voters validate the choice of a white electorate that voted before them.

Each time afterward, Black voters changed course entirely and chose who they wanted as the Democratic nominee, selecting Clinton and Biden despite their early struggles.

But Democrats cannot confuse primary influence with general-election security in 2028. An earlier voice in the nomination process does not guarantee Black support in November. Democrats must still earn it, particularly among younger voters and Black men.

South Carolina provides an opportunity to hone in on what’s broken and fix it before the General Election.

Still South Carolina is not a perfect representation of the Democratic coalition. The state has a relatively small Latino population, limited union density and few recent examples of Democratic success in statewide general elections. Nevada and other states can reasonably argue that they test different and equally important parts of the party.

But the traditional calendar wasn’t representative either.

Iowa and New Hampshire gave disproportionate power to electorates that were overwhelmingly white and rural. Candidates could spend a year discussing the concerns of those voters, survive through the opening contests and engage seriously with Black communities only after the field had already narrowed.

Putting South Carolina first reverses that sequence. South Carolina is a recognition that Black Democrats have more than earned our say.

Kevin Harris is a Democratic strategist who has advised more than 100 campaigns and ballot measures, including the past five presidential elections. He served in the Obama administration as a Cabinet member for two big-city mayors and as executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The post South Carolina puts Black voters in the driver seat for 2028 appeared first on Atlanta Tribune.

Based on reporting by Atlanta Tribune the Magazine.

The post South Carolina Puts Black Voters in the Driver Seat for 2028 appeared first on BlackPressUSA.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

4 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.