‘Who's got next?' Democrats already lining up for 2028 presidential race in early voting states
Nearly a half dozen others have made recent pilgrimages to South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa — states that traditionally host the nation's opening presidential nomination contests. Still other ambitious Democrats are having private conversations with officials on the ground there.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Wes Moore should take his talents to the White House
In 2022, I identified two rising stars who could redefine America's political future: Wes Moore and Kari Lake. I was half-right. In 2022, Lake was the Republican candidate for governor in Arizona. She was a well-respected television journalist with high name identification, and great communication skills. She seemed poised to win, but her campaign violated a cardinal rule of politics: Campaigns are about addition, not subtraction. Tying herself closely to Donald Trump, she demanded that any John McCain supporters ' get the hell out.' That's hardly the right formula for a Republican candidate to win in Arizona. In 2024, Lake ran another losing campaign — this time against Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), for an open U.S. Senate seat. Today, the former journalist is Trump's choice to supervise the dismantling of Voice of America. So I was wrong about Lake. But I think I was right about Moore. In 2022, Moore won a competitive Democratic primary to succeed two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan. Facing a Trump 2020 election-denier, Dan Cox, Moore won in a landslide. There are three things a candidate needs to win the presidency. First, to hold the right office at the right time. In 2016, Trump did not hold any elective office, but he presented himself as a successful businessman who could fix Washington, D.C. around a time when fewer than one in five Americans trusted the government to do what was right. Right candidate, right background. In 2020, Joe Biden was the insider the country wanted to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Having been a long-time U.S. senator and two-term vice president, Biden's governmental experience was viewed as an asset. Right background, right time. Today's voters are not looking for candidates hailing from the halls of a dysfunctional Congress. Although some members are positioning themselves to mount a 2028 presidential campaign, I doubt they will succeed. My bet is that voters will want someone who can cut through red tape and solve problems. Governors are ideally positioned to deliver results. Moore is holding the right office at the right time. And he presents himself as a problem solver. When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in 2024, Moore got to work and quickly mobilized the government to remove the debris paralyzing the vital port of Baltimore. Today, the bridge is being rebuilt. In another crisis situation engendered by Trump's massive layoffs of federal workers, Moore is using the state's resources to find them employment, especially in the state's classrooms. And as governor, Moore has encouraged more apprenticeships that promise good paying Maryland jobs. A second requirement for a winning candidate is the ability to tell a compelling personal story. Moore has that. In his autobiography titled ' The Other Wes Moore,' he recounted his life's story and contrasted it with another man named Wes Moore who took a different path and is serving a life sentence for murder. Moore's story begins with the untimely death of his father in 1982, thanks to a lack of proper medical care. Raised by his mother and grandparents, he was a rebellious child who by the age of 11 was in trouble with the law. When Moore turned 17, his mother signed him up to join the military. That decision helped to turn Moore's life around. He was a member of the Army Reserve and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he later received a Bronze Star for 'meritorious achievement.' Running for governor in 2022, Moore repeated a lesson he learned during his military service: ' Leave No One Behind.' As governor, he has devoted himself to making sure no one is left behind, particularly veterans. That is in sharp contrast to what Moore describes as Trump's message to voters: 'You're on your own.' In what is likely to be another change election in 2028, voters will be looking for something very different from Trump. Moore's story has a patriotic cornerstone that will resonate with voters. As the nation's third elected African American governor, he recently told graduates of Lincoln University how his great-grandfather, a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, was chased out of South Carolina by the Ku Klux Klan and returned to his native Jamaica. But his son, Moore's grandfather, returned to the U.S. because, in Moore's words, he 'loved America too much to let the cruelty of others determine his destination.' Moore's evocation of a liberal agenda combined with a devotion to country is reminiscent of Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential candidacy. In a recent treatise, authors Richard D. Kahlenberg and Ruy Teixeria noted that Kennedy's call for equality for all, together with his deeply personal commitment to American ideals, resonated with voters. The third requirement for a successful candidate is charisma. Barack Obama had it. Trump had it. And Moore has it. Actor George Clooney, who knows something about how to command an audience, describes Moore as 'levitating above ' other governors who may aspire to the presidency, including Kentucky's Andy Beshear (D) and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer (D). Not every presidential aspirant possesses the three qualities needed to be successful. But those that do win. Today, Moore denies any interest in running for the presidency. His disclaimers should not be taken at face value. In 2006, Barack Obama told Tim Russert that he would not run for either president or vice president in 2008. One year later, Obama changed his mind. Twenty years later, Moore is running for reelection as governor — a shoo-in in heavily Democratic Maryland. Voters are jealous creatures; they want you to focus on them, not run for office while casting your eye elsewhere. Moore gets that. But the presidency comes around only once. Obama knew it in 2008. Trump knew it in 2016. And there are many ambitious politicians for whom the presidency never comes around. The 2028 cycle is Moore's time. He should go for it.
Boston Globe
22 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
New faces emerge as potential candidates for Rhode Island attorney general
a University of Pennsylvania and Fordham Law graduate, left his job as Neronha's chief of policy on Friday as he gears up to run as a Democrat. Hoffmann said he isn't ready to make a formal announcement and he hasn't yet opened up a campaign account, but his decision to leave the attorney general's office is a sign that he's serious about joining what could be a crowded field. Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up If he does decide to run, Hoffmann's campaign could receive an immediate boost with an endorsement from Neronha, who speaks glowingly of his former staffer. Advertisement The attorney general's race is always going to be on the undercard when the governor's race is the main event, but the result could be just as important. Like him or not – and most Democrats do – Neronha has emerged as Rhode Island's most consequential statewide elected official since Gina Raimondo left office in 2021. He is the most outspoken leader when it comes to fixing the state's fragile Advertisement The health care crisis won't be solved by the time Neronha leaves office, and Trump will still have two more years in the White House, so the next attorney general will inherit plenty of high-profile work, in addition to their own agenda. It's unclear who else might take a shot at running for the job, although former Providence City Council president John Igliozzi has long been eyeing the job. Another interesting name is This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Dan McGowan can be reached at
Los Angeles Times
22 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Democrats must regain power in the midterms to protect renewable energy
To the editor: Despite all the promise of renewable energy, President Trump has 'cut many federal renewable energy programs, with a renewed emphasis on fossil fuels' ('U.N. says booming solar, wind and other clean energy hit global tipping point for even lower costs,' July 22). This entire situation is analogous to the parable of the good Samaritan. Recalling the parable, an injured man is ignored by people who should be expected to help, but is aided by a member of what was seen as a lowly class. The injured man in the parable corresponds to the human and economic damages from climate change, which overwhelming scientific evidence shows is getting progressively worse. We should expect effective governmental action, but instead the problem is being exacerbated by Trump, who is rolling back initiatives that combat climate change. The class trying to help are out-of-power Democrats, who are disadvantaged as was the Samaritan in the parable. With all this power held by such a destructive president and a sycophantic Republican Congress, it is essential that Democrats gain control of Congress in the midterms. Jack Holtzman and Irwin Rubenstein, San Diego
