Latest news with #2028election
Washington Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
The 2028 podcast primary is underway as Democrats try to reshape their image
The Democrats' 2028 podcast primary is well underway. From Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, potential presidential contenders are following the lead of President Donald Trump, who frequently went on podcasts appealing to younger men during his 2024 campaign.
Associated Press
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
The 2028 podcast primary is underway as Democrats try to reshape their image
The Democrats' 2028 podcast primary is well underway. From Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, potential presidential contenders are following the lead of President Donald Trump, who frequently went on podcasts appealing to younger men during his 2024 campaign. Liberal strategists acknowledge Trump showed that Democratic candidates need to master the podcast space, which is typically looser and more freewheeling than a press conference or a traditional media interview. 'The way that politicians communicate and need to be seen by their audience is changing,' said Liz Minnella, who fundraised for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and this year launched Connect Forward, a group to support liberal influencers. 'I hate to give him credit, but he found a way to connect with people, talk to them like human beings in non-political speak.' Newsom, long derided by conservatives as a San Francisco liberal, has welcomed conservatives onto his podcast and agreed with them on issues such as trans participation in women's sports. Beshear, a lower-profile Democrat in a red state, hosted his teenagers to teach him how to use the youth slang 'skibidi.' The likely 2028 contenders have produced many hours of content already. Here's a look at key moments and what we've learned about the field so far. Andy Beshear's 'be you, boo' Launching 'The Andy Beshear Podcast' earlier this year, the Kentucky governor now has hosted a donor, a former ambassador, businessmen he calls friends and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He even brought on his two children to explain slang words high schoolers are using, asking them to explain to him how to use terms like 'skibidi' to say something looks good, or 'doing it for the plot' to say you'll be taking a risk on something despite a potentially bad outcome. From his first episode, the 47-year-old politician outlines some rules and says the first is 'be authentic, you be you, boo.' The governor did not respond to a request for comment on his strategy, but has mostly taken a position of dissecting and broadcasting opposition to Trump's policies, such as potential cuts to Medicaid and the use of the Signal messaging app by the president's national security team to discuss sensitive military operations. In one of Beshear's most recent episodes earlier this month, his producer asks the governor a frequent listener's question: Will you run for president? 'If it were three years ago, this was something that we would have never thought about,' Beshear said, sitting beside his wife, Britainy. 'But I'm committed to not leaving a broken country to my kids or anyone else's. Now, what that looks like going forward, I don't know. My job right now is to try to lift up as many leaders as possible all across the country that are hopefully focused on the right things with the right message to re-earn the faith of the American people.' Gretchen Whitmer talks about the hug Whitmer recently appeared on 'Pod Save America' for a shorter interview than other contenders have done on podcasts. Whitmer had received some backlash for sharing a hug with the president last month as he arrived in her home state, less than a month after she shielded her face from cameras during an Oval Office appearance alongside Trump. Whitmer and Trump announced a new fighter jet mission at a National Guard base outside Detroit that is seen as a major economic driver for the area. 'This is a BFD,' she said on the podcast, referencing if not outright saying a profane phrase that starts with 'big' and ends with 'deal.' 'It doesn't mean I've abandoned any of my values. It doesn't mean that I'm not going to stand my ground and fight where we have to, but this is one of those moments where as a public servant you're reminded your job is to put service above self and that's what it was all about.' Gavin Newsom gives mic to MAGA figures In February, California's governor launched 'This is Gavin Newsom' as what he called a mechanism for talking 'directly with people I disagree with, people I look up to, and you — the listeners.' Thus far, he's had a wide array of guests, including former Trump strategist Steve Bannon and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, as well as Klobuchar and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris' 2024 running mate. The conversations have mostly been chummy. Newsom — who has in recent weeks broken with California's legislature and faced liberal criticism for his positioning on trans issues, immigration and homelessness — has fielded backlash for giving a platform to some of his party's biggest critics. Newsom has also drawn criticism for opposing the participation of trans athletes in women's sports. 'I think it's an issue of fairness, I completely agree with you on that,' Newsom told Kirk in his debut episode. 'It is an issue of fairness — it's deeply unfair.' The diverse guest list could be part of Newsom's attempt to self-brand as a centrist ahead of a possible 2028 run, hearing out conservative critics while trying to assume his party's mantle. In March, the governor told HBO's Bill Maher that Democrats had developed a 'toxic' brand and criticized some in the party who are unwilling to 'have a conversation' with their opponents. Buttigieg says Democrats need to reach 'people who don't think like us' Buttigieg's appearance on Andrew Schulz's 'Flagrant' podcast came months after the comedian sat down with Trump. During his three-hour sit-down with Schulz, Buttigieg sported a beard as he talked candidly about his personal life, describing his experiences serving in the military before he came out publicly as gay and raising his biracial children, even laughing along as Schulz and other hosts cracked jokes related to homosexuality or asked pointed questions about his personal life. But mostly, Buttigieg — who spoke in Iowa earlier this month — discussed his time in politics and accused Trump of failing to deliver on economic promises from the 2024 campaign. 'We have to be encountering people who don't think like us and don't view the world the way we do, both in order to actually, legitimately, become smarter and better and make better choices and have better positions, and just in order to persuade,' Buttigieg said. ___ Associated Press Polling Editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.
The Independent
22-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Democrats may require 2028 contenders to release full health information after disastrous Biden campaign
Some Democrats are discussing plans to require 2028 contenders to release their full health information after the disastrous campaign of former President Joe Biden. In 2028, candidates who were more disconnected from the Biden White House may be able to garner more credibility with voters among those who feel betrayed by party leadership. Democratic strategists speaking to The Bulwark said a consensus is forming that whoever campaigns for the party's nomination in 2028 will have to share a large amount of health information and a more extensive health report than previously expected. There's also a belief that anyone over 70 won't run. Biden recently announced an 'aggressive' prostate cancer diagnosis, which raised additional concerns regarding his health while in office. The former president was forced out of the 2024 race after a catastrophic debate performance against President Donald Trump in June last year, and he was replaced atop the Democratic ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris. Democratic strategists have also grown tired of the former president claiming he would have won had he stayed in the race. Anthony Coley, a Democratic strategist who worked for the Biden administration, told The Hill last week, 'Would it be nice if Biden finally accepted and admitted he shouldn't have run for a second term? Sure.' 'But candidly, does it really matter at this point? History will have the final say — and its first draft isn't looking good,' he added. This comes as Harris is reportedly considering a run for California governor next year, but has yet to announce a campaign even as the race takes shape around her. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who's running to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom, said in a statement on Tuesday that Harris and Biden's former Health and Human Services Secretary, Xavier Becerra, who has announced that he's also running for governor in the state, should apologize for covering up Biden's health status. Villaraigosa referenced the recent book Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. 'What I've seen in news coverage and excerpts from the new book 'Original Sin' is deeply troubling,' he said. 'At the highest levels of our government, those in power were intentionally complicit or told outright lies in a systematic cover up to keep Joe Biden's mental decline from the public.' 'Now, we have come to learn this cover up includes two prominent California politicians who served as California Attorney General – one who is running for Governor and another who is thinking about running for Governor,' he added. 'Those who were complicit in the cover up should take responsibility for the part they played in this debacle, hold themselves accountable, and apologize to the American people,' Villaraigosa said. 'I call on Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra to do just that – and make themselves available to voters and the free press because there's a lot of questions that need to be answered.' The revelations regarding Biden's decline in office are set to have significant effects on how the Democratic Party conducts its elections and how candidates run their campaigns. It may also affect the demands placed on candidates, the media strategies they choose to enact, and the scheduling of presidential primaries. While every election leads to soul-searching within a party, the 2024 loss and Biden's handling of his campaign led to a significant trust issue that the party will have to confront, Democratic strategists have said, according to The Bulwark. Some strategists compared it to the authorization of the war in Iraq, which shaped the contours of the 2008 primary and which saw the campaigns of those who backed the invasion crater. 'Obama was fortunate because he wasn't in D.C., so it allowed him to have natural distance. He could say 'I'm an outsider' without saying 'I'm an outsider',' a Democratic strategist who worked on a 2008 campaign told the outlet. Former President Barack Obama wasn't in Congress in 2002 and, as such, he didn't have to cast a ballot on the resolution authorizing the war in Iraq.
CNN
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Chasten Buttigieg on whether Pete Buttigieg is considering a presidential run in 2028
Chasten Buttigieg speaks with CNN's Dana Bash about his new children's book, and the possibility that his husband, Pete Buttigieg, will run for president in 2028.
CNN
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Chasten Buttigieg on whether Pete Buttigieg is considering a presidential run in 2028
Chasten Buttigieg speaks with CNN's Dana Bash about his new children's book, and the possibility that his husband, Pete Buttigieg, will run for president in 2028.
