Does SC’s Clyburn plan to play president-maker in 2028? Here’s what he said
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, South Carolina’s lone Democratic member of its federal delegation, who was credited with helping revive President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, said he’s open to making an endorsement in the 2028 race.
“I’m looking for a candidate to emerge who can lay out a vision for the future of this country,” Clyburn told members of the media at his annual fish fry Friday, an event that is a must attend for potential presidential hopefuls.
He made the comments standing beside two potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2028 campaign, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
Ahead of the 2020 South Carolina presidential primary, Clyburn got Biden to agree to appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court. Biden made the promise at a debate the week ahead of the South Carolina Democratic primary. The next day Clyburn endorsed the eventual 46th president.
Biden lost the first three nominating contests, but he went on to win the South Carolina primary catapulting him to the nomination and the White House.
On Friday, Clyburn recounted how, ahead of the 2020 primary, he and his daughters discussed an endorsement and how their late mother wanted to back Biden.
“I’m gonna sit down with them during this campaign, and I’m going to be guided in large measure by what they said to me during that meeting. I hope a vision for the future of this country will emerge from this campaign that will allow me to give an emphatic endorsement,” Clyburn said.
“Mr. Clyburn, did I tell you how much respect I have for Angela, Mignon and Jennifer?” Khanna jokingly told the congressman.
A Clyburn endorsement would be valuable ahead of a South Carolina presidential primary, especially if the Democratic National Committee decides to include the Palmetto State in the early primary window.
A decision on which states will be in the early window, include who will lead off the process, is expected sometime this year. That early window is expected to include five states in the four regions across the country.
In 2024, South Carolina led off the party’s nominating process.
Khanna said after Democrats in the state were able to beat back a redistricting effort that South Carolina should be at least be first in the South.
But whether the state should be first in the nation is another decision, but said he would defer to Clyburn’s thoughts. Clyburn last year said he wanted the state to be in the early window, and added the most important hitter in a baseball lineup is the clean-up hitter, which bats fourth.
“I defer to Mr. Clyburn, who’s seen many more presidential elections than I have, and what he thinks is the right position,” Khanna said. “South Carolina should have been taken at their word of what they want, and I think it will work out where they have the decisive role in the election.”
Beshear said South Carolina should be in the early window and the first of two southern states.
“If our candidates can come through and can win in the South, can show that we can turn people out that can put together coalitions that cannot only compete in primaries but start winning in generals, start flipping some of these states, then I think it’s going to create better candidates,” Beshear said.
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Does SC’s Clyburn plan to play president-maker in 2028? Here’s what he said."
