Democrats are licking their wounds after Vice President Harris lost to President-elect Trump, but they are already looking forward to who will lead the party in the 2028 presidential primary.
This is a fight that looks wide open.
What is certain is that Trump himself will not be voting. This is because the Constitution limits President Trump to two terms. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is likely to be the Republican front-runner as the party’s next presidential candidate.
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The Democratic Party may be overflowing with potential candidates, and there are differences of opinion within the party about what to prioritize.
Some Democrats say the party needs to start over with an infusion of new blood for the next presidential election.
Others say Harris deserves another run for the presidency, pointing to the 74 million votes cast for her earlier this month.
“Just like in 2016, we are disoriented, disoriented and unsure of what we want going forward,” one Democratic strategist acknowledged.
What is certain is that it is a crowded field.
Early names include everyone from Harris to Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock to the governor. Wes Moore of Maryland, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
The top contenders are:
Kamala Harris
Democrats, at least for the most part, did not blame Harris for the loss.
President Biden received the most criticism for withdrawing from the primary last July and endorsing his vice president.
Democrats say that in many ways, the race Harris inherited from Biden is not the race she would have run in if she had been the candidate in the first place.
“In many ways, this was still Joe Biden’s race. Although she eventually became the candidate, there were still many restrictions, including the fact that she could not maneuver to distance herself from him when necessary,” said an aide to the vice president.
At the same time, Harris is said to have shown that she can run an impressive campaign even in the short time she has been in the race.
The vice president’s political instincts have also grown, and she now has the understanding and experience of someone who has run a billion-dollar campaign.
She also knows the name. An Emerson poll this week found Harris leading other potential contenders in 2028.
Certainly, there are many reasons to think Harris won’t be the nominee and won’t emerge from a competitive primary.
Gender may be a factor. The last two times the Democratic Party nominated a woman as their presidential standard-bearer, the Democratic candidate lost to Trump. There may be Democrats who want to go in a different direction.
Harris also led a multibillion-dollar campaign that she lost. And her campaign wasn’t perfect. Some Democrats think it would be foolish to choose the same candidate in 2028 who lost in 2024.
Harris also said she wanted to keep her options open to allies. Some say she could easily run for governor of California if she doesn’t run for president again.
Gavin Newsom
Long before Biden dropped out of the race, the California governor was positioning himself as a potential candidate in case the president decided not to run for re-election.
In many ways, he has become a bulwark for the Democratic Party against Trump.
Throughout the Biden administration, Newsom has dealt with Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pleasing Democrats who wanted their leader to punch Republicans in the face.
“He’s fighting and there’s a party that wants to call the shots right now,” a second Democratic strategist said.
Newsom will be able to raise the money. He is known nationally and leads a populous Democratic state.
He is positioning himself as part of the Trump resistance and is already calling a special session of the California Legislature “to protect California values and fundamental rights against the incoming Trump administration.”
Can a California Democrat win the presidential election? Nothing like this has yet happened in American history, and many Democrats have their doubts.
But Newsom certainly looks like a leading candidate for 2028.
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has long been considered a strong potential presidential candidate.
There are some Democrats who wish there had been a more open competition for the nomination this cycle and think Whitmer might have been a stronger general election candidate.
Whitmer will face questions about gender in 2028, with Harris losing to Trump in 2024 and Hillary Clinton losing to Trump in 2016.
“The next candidate is always a referendum on the last candidate,” said Christy Setzer, a Democratic strategist.
“I think Harris ran a much better race than anyone could have asked for. (But) the clear lesson is that we should not run women or women of color. “It’s annoying, but I don’t see people doing any other analysis.”
Whitmer’s fans point to the Michigan governor as proof that Democrats can not only win competitive “blue wall” states but also have a successful agenda.
Whitmer was a top contender to be Biden’s running mate in 2020, and her political star has risen since then.
She also continued to raise millions of dollars for her super PAC, Fight Like Hell PAC, according to federal campaign finance filings.
“She’s the real deal,” said one Democratic lawmaker who has spoken with her in recent months.
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is in a stronger position due to the Democrat’s White House loss, even though Harris lost her state.
He was widely seen as Harris’ second choice for vice president after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and questions will be raised going forward about whether he has made a difference in the blue wall state.
“You never know how it’s going to turn out, but he’s definitely gotten a lot of attention,” said one Democratic donor. “And I know many of us think he has the ability to run for higher office one day. He has a certain gravitas.”
Shapiro maintains solid approval ratings in his state while increasing his national profile.
But polls show he still has work to do to create a name ID. An Emerson poll this week found that only 3% of those surveyed said they would support him.
Pete Buttigieg
Since running for president in 2020, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has been the one to say Democrats could be the future of the party.
The 42-year-old’s tenure as Transportation Secretary hasn’t always been smooth, but the next Democrat said he is undoubtedly the party’s best communicator since former President Obama.
He’s comfortable in front of large crowds and he’s comfortable on Fox News. That’s appealing to Democrats, who say the party needs to do more to win over working-class men who flocked to Trump. For now, he’s also polling ahead of most Democrats.
JB Pritzker
After Biden’s disastrous debate performance last June, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker was one of the Democrats many thought would make a bid for the nomination in the convention’s open primary in the Illinois governor’s hometown of Chicago. .
As heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, Pritzker was able to build his campaign fund quickly and easily.
He also has a string of legislative accomplishments that could appeal to Democrats.
He signed a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15. He also signed several reproductive rights bills into law.
He helped form a Democratic gubernatorial coalition called Governors Safeguarding Democracy with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.
Democrats also applauded the way he went after Trump the day after he was elected earlier this month.
“Let me remind anyone who wants to take away the freedom, opportunity and dignity of Illinoisans that a happy warrior is still a warrior,” he said. “You come for my people, and you come through me.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
When Democrats talk about the future of their party, the 35-year-old New York congressman’s name always comes to the top.
A second Democratic strategist said Democrats have long been impressed by Ocasio-Cortez’s ability to “cut through the BS and tell it like it is.”
“She is someone who can block out the noise and not talk like Washington.”
Democrats say Ocasio-Cortez will attract younger voters and will have little trouble using social media, podcasts and other online tools as she has done since she was elected to Congress in 2018.
Ocasio-Cortez was once aligned with progressives, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), but has since supported more centrist candidates.
Still, some Democrats say she still represents the left wing of the party to some voters, which could hurt her if she takes higher office.
“She and ‘Tim’ started pushing too hard and too fast,” the first strategist said. “DC doesn’t work that way. And our party doesn’t work that way. “We have to go back to basics,” he said.
