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Former Vice President Joe Biden, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, attorney Michael Avenatti, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, California Sen. Kamala Harris, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg have already or are expected to visit the Palmetto State in the home stretch of the 2018 election.

Several of the big names are appearing alongside South Carolina's 2018 Democratic candidates such as gubernatorial nominee James Smith and 1st Congressional District candidate Joe Cunningham. Biden, Bullock and Buttigieg each did events with the men this past weekend. Booker and Harris will be revving up the base while speaking at GOTV rallies up and down the state, and Bloomberg is headlining a fundraiser for incumbent Rep. Jim Clyburn -- the only Democrat in South Carolina's congressional delegation.

The early attention South Carolina is receiving from potential 2020 Democratic candidate shows the important role the state plays in the party's nominating contest. While Iowa and New Hampshire lay claim to being the first in the nation contests, South Carolina is the first state where Democratic candidates will test their appeal with African-American voters, a key voting bloc to winning the nomination.

Due the primary schedule, the South Carolina primary is the last one to take place before Super Tuesday on March 3, when nine states will hold their primaries. The winner in South Carolina could take their momentum into those contests.

A range of Democrats in the state told CNN they are torn by all the early attention the state is getting from national figures. On the one hand, they say, the visits are driving excitement and turnout among the party faithful. On the other, having state candidates tied to the typically more liberal Democrats on the national stage opens those candidates up to attack from their Republican opponents.

"Usually we are second fiddle and it seems like this year we may be getting more active early on than Iowa and New Hampshire just due to the schedule of the primaries," said former state Democratic representative Boyd Brown. "Whoever wins South Carolina, that's an indicator of who wins Super Tuesday."

"Some of us wish it would wait. We don't need our candidates tied to Bernie Sanders in October before an election," Brown said, but added that Democrats in the state are energized for the midterms in a way that he hasn't seen before.

Amanda Loveday, the former executive director of the state party, also pointed to Sanders coming down to South Carolina for a solo event, this close to the midterms, as an unwise move.

"I definitely think he has supporters, but I don't think that right now is a good time for him to be traveling to South Carolina specifically because he wasn't invited by a candidate who is running on a 2018 ballot," Loveday said.