SC doesn’t have many close ‘26 races. Why are potential ‘28 hopefuls visiting now?
Inside the T-Motion Dance Studio in Mauldin where every seat was taken, and several people stood along the walls, S.C. Democratic Party Executive Director Jay Parmley told attendees ahead of time how he would move the photo line with U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly and former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords along quickly.
Parmley didn’t want attendees to take too much of Kelly’s time on Friday because he would be traveling to the Lowcountry afterward.
“I have a feeling he will be back many times if you don’t get a chance to tell your life story,” Parmley said to the crowd.
Kelly was one of three potential 2028 Democratic White House hopefuls, along with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and California Congressman Ro Khanna to be in South Carolina on Friday, a month before South Carolina voters decide who will be the state’s junior senator, the next governor and who will serve in the state House.
Many South Carolina races aren’t considered competitive, but the national political environment has shifted to favor Democratic candidates in recent months. It’s given some Democratic South Carolinians hope that they could crack the Republican state House supermajority or pick up congressional seats.
It’s the allure of South Carolina holding the First in the Nation Democratic presidential primary in 2028 that encourages the potential White House hopefuls to meet with voters, connect with potential staff and test out a message.
“Many of these folks are seriously considering kicking the tires a little bit to see whether or not they’re going to throw their hats in the ring to see if they can get any traction,” said former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, who also ran the state party in the past.
Kelly, of Arizona, was in the Greenville-area Friday campaigning with Upstate congressional candidates Courtney McCLain and Eunice Lehmacher as well state House candidates. He visited Goose Creek on Saturday to campaign with 1st Congressional District Democratic hopeful Nancy Lacore.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear held an event in Orangeburg County and was in Charleston County on Friday with Lacore.
Khanna made stops in Hartsville, Conway and Charleston on Friday, and West Columbia on Sunday.
“It’s [South Carolina] perhaps the most important state in the country. It’s going to pick the next president, and it’s going to shape the economic and moral agenda for our party,” Khanna told reporters in Conway. “And it’s no secret that some of those folks are considering running for president, so they should be spending time here.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is set to appear at the SC NAACP annual Freedom Awards Banquet on Saturday. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also expected to return to the state this month.
Some of the hopefuls can attract a crowd on their own just on their name ID. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last month spoke to crowded rooms at events coordinated by the state Democratic Party. Others are appearing at already established events to build their familiarity with potential voters.
But meeting with smaller groups and connecting with donors, operatives, activists and local leaders might be more helpful, said Democratic strategist Lachlan McIntosh.
“I think those are the kind of the more effective visits right now,” he said.
Still after the Nov. 3 election, more than 440 days will remain until the 2028 South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary.
Parmley conceded he initially anticipated the trips from potential 2028 hopefuls would have paused ahead of the midterms. He estimated that national names would have spent October in traditional battleground states, before returning to South Carolina after the midterms.
“What’s happened is everything’s a battleground. You’ve got Texas and Kansas and South Carolina and Mississippi that are all the polling numbers are just are really close in the Senate races and congressional races all across the country, and even the reddest of states,” Parmley said. “The map has really expanded.”
Beshear, Kelly and Khanna made return trips to the Palmetto States after already visiting the state in 2026. Pritzker is making his first. There’s also been trips by U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Some have made endorsements in South Carolina and fundraised for local candidates. Many say long-shot races in the state could be won by Democrats.
Beshear rallied a small gathering of Democratic voters in a church in Santee, a town in Orangeburg County. The Kentucky governor said he was “living, breathing proof” that Democratic candidates could win anywhere.
Democratic wins in November could make it easier for a Democratic presidential candidate to win in 2028, he said.
“We need something better,” Beshear said. “It starts in places like South Carolina, and it starts in 2026. When you think about those elections, and a lot of people talking about the House and a lot of people talking about the Senate, remember the map in ‘28, because we desperately have to win the presidency in 2028. That map comes from governors’ races.”
Anthony Hallmon, the chair of the Orangeburg Democratic Party, said Friday local leaders can learn from the success of out-of-state Democratic candidates. President Donald Trump won in Kentucky by more than 30 percentage points in 2024, though Beshear was also elected in the state twice.
“It means a lot,” Hallmon said of the visits. “Because one thing that we’re trying to do, we’re trying to get our inactive voters to come out.”
After speaking to a packed in room in Mauldin, Kelly emphasized to reporters the chances for pickups in South Carolina.
“Democrats have opportunities all over the country, and this is one place where we can win a Senate seat, where we can win some House candidates, can be successful running for Congress, but also the state legislature,” Kelly said.
Kelly was elected to the U.S. Senate in a special election in 2020 and then re-elected in 2022. He won a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024.
“I think it helps to have somebody at the top of the ticket that can attract Republicans and especially right-leaning independents, but some Republicans,” Kelly said.
Khanna said national Democratic leaders should invest everywhere in the country, including places that aren’t considered battlegrounds. If resources were poured into South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race sooner, Annie Andrews’ success would have been a “slam dunk,” Khanna said.
This year polls in the race for U.S. Senate show a close contest in South Carolina, and the Cook Political Report recently shifted the seat from “solidly Republican” to “likely Republican.” The race in the First Congressional District is drawing outside money and both parties are weighing in. The race for governor is wide open for the first time since 2010.
“We’ve got an increasingly competitive, top-notch Senate race, and we’ve got a congressional race that falls in the same category,” McIntosh said. “It is a little unusual, but that’s the fact, right? And South Carolina has some very competitive state house races, and as well, and that’s just a fact. And normally we don’t have as much as we do, but we do.”
Harrison, who ran against U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2020, emphasized that White House hopefuls can’t just make a couple of visits to South Carolina and treat it as a fly by state.
“You’re going to have to invest time, energy and effort,” Harrison said.
Who’s appearing with the potential White House hopefuls?
While the three hopefuls who came this past weekend want to see Andrews knock off Republican U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and state Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Richland, win the governor’s office, they weren’t necessarily doing events with those candidates.
Andrews didn’t campaign with California Gov. Gavin Newsom when he visited recently.
Johnson had an event with Newsom at Allen University, an HBCU in Columbia.
Kelly was an early supporter of Andrews’ bid for the U.S. Senate. He did events for her in 2025.
“I think she has an opportunity to win,” Kelly said.
Andrews has focused on appealing to independent and Republican voters during her general election campaign for the U.S. Senate. Her campaign released an ad where she spoke with her father, who said he previously voted for Lindsey Graham.
She has also promised to work with Republicans in Congress and backed Trump-supported ideas, like the no-tax on tips policy included in the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
“It just depends on the candidate and the campaigns that they’re trying to run, and what their assessments are in terms of what they actually need,” Harrison added.
Khanna, a congressman representing a district in the heart of Silicon Valley, said he only campaigns with local candidates who ask for support. But Khanna said he has brought resources to Johnson and other state House candidates in South Carolina ahead of the 2026 midterms.
“I think if you ask Jermaine [Johnson], he would say that I’ve been a big help to him,” Khanna said in Conway. “I’ve helped him in getting support, I’ve helped him organize.”
Johnson is running against Republican nominee Attorney General Alan Wilson.
When Beshear addressed a group of Democratic supporters in Santee, Johnson spoke before him. Johnson’s running mate, Sam Skardon, also attended. Beshear said he wanted South Carolina House Republicans to lose their supermajority and for Andrews and Johnson to win their campaigns for U.S. Senate and governor respectively.
“I believe that Democrats need to get dirt on their boots, show up places that they haven’t been going and that is how we get the Democratic Party back on track,” Beshear told reporters. “We fight everywhere, we elect good people and then we govern well.”
In the 1st District, Lacore had canvassing events with Beshear and Kelly.
“This weekend is about getting our supporters energized and out knocking doors,” said Kaylie Haberstroh, Lacore’s campaign manager ahead of their visits.
Whether S.C. candidates campaign with national figures, they need to make sure they focus on local issues, South Carolina Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said.
“I think it would be a mistake to get caught up in a national narrative because the national narrative will not help the challenges that people in South Carolina face,” Seawright said.
Joseph Bustos reported from Mauldin, Lucy Valeski reported from Santee, and Maria Elena Scott reported from Conway.
This story was originally published October 5, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "SC doesn’t have many close ‘26 races. Why are potential ‘28 hopefuls visiting now?."
