The South Carolina Republican Party unanimously voted on Saturday to move back their 2024 GOP presidential primary, holding it on February 24 next year. This decision would extend the campaigning period in the crucial Palmetto State, setting a different sequence in the Republican nominating calendar by placing South Carolina after Nevada for the first time. The potential shift would allow candidates more than two additional weeks to focus on South Carolina, as opposed to the previous cycle when the state’s primary occurred before Nevada’s caucuses.

If approved, the proposed date for the South Carolina GOP primary would mark a shift in the nominating calendar, placing the state behind Nevada for the first time since 2008. In that year, South Carolina’s primary took place on January 19, coinciding with Nevada’s caucus. In 2016, South Carolina’s Republican primary was held on February 20, three days before Nevada’s caucus on February 23. In 2012, South Carolina Republicans voted in the primaries on January 21, two weeks ahead of Nevada Republicans’ caucusing.

The proposal to move the primary date received support from one presidential campaign in particular — that of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Team DeSantis expressed enthusiasm about the decision and confidence in his chances of winning in South Carolina. The governor’s military service and his wife’s connections to the state were cited as factors that could resonate with South Carolina Republican voters. Casey DeSantis’ parents live in Aiken, and she graduated from the College of Charleston.

Andrew Romeo, a spokesman for the DeSantis campaign, said:

This could not have shaken out any better for us. We were happy to support this decision and look forward to competing to win in all four early states. Governor DeSantis has the strongest political operation and footprint of any of the announced candidates, including Biden.

While representatives for other presidential campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment, a spokesperson for former President Donald Trump’s campaign indirectly addressed the South Carolina GOP vote. The spokesperson characterized DeSantis as attempting to “claim any victory he can, even if it’s completely detached from reality.”

The South Carolina GOP’s vote also included the approval of participation thresholds for presidential candidates, involving a filing fee of $50,000 per candidate and an October 31, 2023 filing deadline. The scheduling of primary dates in South Carolina is determined by state party officials and must be approved by the Republican National Committee (RNC). 

As voted by the Democratic National Committee in February, South Carolina holds the distinction of being the first state on its presidential primary calendar, with the primary scheduled for February 3, 2024. At the time, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison noted that race and unions were the deciding factors in their party’s decision, saying:

This calendar does what is long overdue. It puts Black voters at the front of the process in South Carolina. It keeps Nevada, where Latinos have been building power … and it adds Michigan, the heartland, where unions built the middle class of this nation.

Meanwhile, in Nevada, the Secretary of State’s office has already set the presidential primary for both parties on February 6. Earlier this month, the Nevada Republican Party filed a lawsuit against the state to allow for a caucus instead of a primary enacted by legislation. Nevada has previously used the caucus system in presidential years. If successful, the Nevada Republican Party’s legal challenge would likely result in a caucus being held in early February 2024.

Nevada Republican Party’s Executive Director, Alida Benson, said: “We look forward to holding [a caucus] in Feb 2024.”

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The Republican Party aims to finalize its primary calendar plans by October 1, 2023. Following South Carolina’s Saturday vote, Emma Vaughn, an RNC spokesperson, said: “Every state has until October 1st to let the RNC know what their plan is for electing, selecting, allocating, and binding delegates. We look forward to reviewing each state and territory’s plans.”

The potential change in the GOP nominating calendar would create a significant shift in the timing and dynamics of the presidential race, injecting intrigue and elevating the stakes within the ever-evolving political landscape.