As 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls make the rounds in South Carolina, New Hampshire and even Iowa, which isn’t even on the official primary calendar, one early state is being overlooked at their peril: Nevada.
Nevada has long held a spot in the first four states on the Democratic nominating calendar, and it should be central to any serious contender’s strategy moving forward. It’s not just because the state has any sort of ancestral claim to its presidential primary. It’s because the path to the nomination and the presidency depends on Nevada.
Prospective candidates who skip Nevada or treat it like an afterthought are missing three critical truths about its role in our party’s future and the nation’s:
First, Nevada Represents the Future of the Democratic Party. No early state more clearly reflects the challenges and opportunities facing the Democratic Party than Nevada. It’s the only battleground state among the early contests. President Trump won the state in 2024 by just over 3 percentage points after Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden narrowly won in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
If Democrats want to reverse course in 2028, we need to start in Nevada. The state’s electorate looks like America: a majority-minority state with significant Latino, Black and Asian American populations. Nevada is the most working-class battleground in the nation, with the highest concentration of voters lacking a college degree — a demographic Democrats have struggled with in recent cycles.
More than 20 percent of Nevada workers are in the service sector, and 19.3 percent of adults over 25 have a four-year college degree. Those are the kind of voters Democrats need to win over again if we’re going to take back the White House and Congress. Democrats also need to rebuild trust with men of color, and that starts with showing up in places like barbershops in North Las Vegas or the Broadacres swap meet. We need to talk to folks in rural communities between Reno and Vegas that feel unseen and unheard. Nevada is where the work to reassemble a winning coalition must begin, not as a campaign photo op, but as a real test of whether a candidate understands how to earn back diverse, working class support.
The second reason is that Nevada is where Trump’s economic fallout is worst. Trump’s economic policies may have sounded good on the campaign trail, but they’re wreaking havoc across America, and most acutely in Nevada. The state is tied for the nation’s highest unemployment rate, while tourism — the lifeblood of the state’s economy — is down significantly. People aren’t booking Vegas vacations if they’re worried about rising costs from tariffs or unsure about the stability of their job or business.
When Trump imposes reckless tariffs, Nevada workers are the ones paying the price. And when Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) defends those policies by saying, “maybe we need a little pain in the short term,” Nevadans feel that pain directly in their paychecks and pocketbooks. It’s not abstract — it’s real and it’s urgent.
Third, Nevada will host the most competitive governor’s race in the country in 2026. Nevada is shaping up to be ground zero for Democratic resurgence in 2026. Attorney General Aaron Ford is consolidating support for a run against Lombardo, with backing from both U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.).
It is already one of the most closely watched gubernatorial contests in the country, and it’s a golden opportunity for presidential contenders to show their commitment to Nevada and the working people who live here. Showing up for Ford, helping him raise money, knock doors and energize voters would speak volumes to Nevada Democrats about who really has their back. It would also demonstrate an understanding that party-building in states like Nevada is not just about presidential ambitions — it is about the broader bench and future success of the Democratic Party.
Sure, it may be easier for candidates to visit New Hampshire or South Carolina — states that are a quick flight away for East Coast-based reporters and consultants. But presidential campaigns aren’t supposed to be easy, and neither is winning back the working-class, multiracial coalition that defines Nevada.
If you can’t show up, organize, and win in Nevada, in a state that looks like the rest of America and feels the brunt of Trump’s reckless economic agenda, how do you expect to win the presidency?
Nevada isn’t a detour on the road to the White House. It is the road.
Kevin Liao is a Democratic strategist who served as Joe Biden’s 2020 Nevada communications director. He also worked on Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign and the Harris-Walz 2024 campaign.
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