Latest news with #2028election
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Keller: Democrats are already road testing presidential hopefuls for 2028
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global. When Joe Biden walked away from his campaign one year ago, it opened the door for Kamala Harris, who's still out there raising money. But her loss to Donald Trump has, in turn, opened the gates to a stampede of potential 2028 hopefuls from across the spectrum. Could a young, charismatic leftist - like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have a chance? After all, she might help generate more turnout among Latinos and young voters. "It's a total jump ball which ideological faction of the party has the upper hand," says Bill Scher, politics editor for the Washington Monthly. "You certainly can't discount the possibility that somebody coming from the Democratic Socialst left could do what Bernie Sanders could not do." What about a moderate who's won in a red state, like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who told an audience in South Carolina (potentially the first Democratic primary state in 2028) recently, "You can be pro-jobs, pro-business and pro-worker all at the same time." "He would come out with a pretty strong calling card: 'I've done it, I've won in a red state with this model,'" Scher said And California Governor Gavin Newsom is already campaigning as a liberal Democrat who's willing to court conservatives. Three different potential answers to the core question facing the Democrats, as Congressman Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) put it on "Face the Nation" last weekend, "What can we do better to appeal to more people, including those people that we have lost time and time again in elections?" Is it too early to talk about the 2028 election? Absolutely, for normal people with lives that don't revolve around politics. After all, the outcome of next year's midterm elections could shakeup the balance of power in Washington and change the way voters view the choice in three years. But presidential candidacies give the party a chance to road-test different messages while the Democrats in Washington, D.C., keep hammering away at the Republicans. That's why it matters who's coming forward, what they're saying, and how it's being received.
Fox News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
I'm one of the voters Democrats need to win. 2028 is their only chance to regain our trust
2028 might feel like a distant horizon for most Americans, but for Democrats craving fresh leadership, it feels like tomorrow. In recent months, potential contenders have quietly ramped up their profiles. Governors like Andy Beshear and Gavin Newsom emphasized working-class values in recent trips down to South Carolina. Newsom has also been engaging voters through conservative podcasts and YouTube channels, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has followed suit. The list grows when you include other dynamic governors, Wes Moore, J.B. Pritzker and Josh Shapiro, each nationally known and respected in their states. But amid these forward-looking moves, few voices illustrate establishment irony like former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. I caught his interview with CNN's Dana Bash, where he urged Democrats to refocus on economy, housing and affordability, decrying "elitists" and lamenting the party's waning popularity. He even quipped that Democrats are less popular than Elon Musk — an attention-grabbing soundbite that both sides have circulated. Here's the catch: Rahm is the establishment he now criticizes, and voters under 40 aren't easily duped. We've followed Rahm's tenure with the Clintons and Obamas, the very administrations that defined the Democratic brand for our generation. And the party should remain aware that for Black voters, our most consistent base, Rahm's record in Chicago still resonates. I haven't forgotten LaQuan McDonald, the 17-year-old fatally shot by a police officer in 2014; has Rahm? Did anyone ask Chicago residents about Rahm's record before anointing him as the voice of strategic change? Watching him critique elitism is a case study in gaslighting and reinvention. This trend extends beyond Rahm. Former President Barack Obama's recent call for Democrats to toughen up flies in the face of the entire ethos he championed during his era — "When they go low, we go high," as former First Lady Michelle Obama said. But many of us have been asking the party to toughen up for years as the party focused more on identity politics. We respect inclusivity and representation, but we also need solutions to skyrocketing rents, crushing student debt and rising healthcare costs. When people struggle to afford groceries or gas, rhetoric about values rings hollow. We've shifted from helping Americans thrive to teaching them how to survive. Recent polling has shown Democratic satisfaction among 18-to-34-year-olds has dropped significantly, driven by concerns over affordability and economic opportunity. And yet, a small group of insiders continues to serve as kingmakers, treating voters like extras in a story already written. I'm tired of watching affordability slip year after year while leadership rotates among the same inner circle. As a young Black woman, I represent demos the party must either hold onto or win over. And I'm also guilty of playing along to the establishment game as well. I knocked on doors for Obama's first run, but I wasn't old enough to vote. By the time his second campaign came around, that choice was obvious. In 2015, I proudly said, "I'm with her," when Hillary Clinton ran because she was the anointed one. And when 2020 came, as a Black woman from the South, I knew Joe Biden was the only real pathway for Democrats to win. And of course, we all knew the lore that he had waited his turn. It felt like his time. But all of that — those expectations, those signals from party elders — is part of our problem. As the 2028 field takes shape, Democrats have a chance to regain trust. For many of us, this will be the first presidential contest without an anointed heir. No kingmakers, no predetermined favorite — just an open field and voters who demand authenticity. Let's insist that candidates honestly own their past decisions and commit to real solutions on housing, healthcare, education and economic fairness. No more revisionist history. No more hollow critiques. Some of these folks built the house we now live in, and we should all be paying close attention to what rhetoric they use as they inspect it.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
RFK Jr. sparks 2028 speculation with major move that could put him on the outs with Trump
. appears to be making the first steps toward a 2028 presidential run. Axios reported Wednesday that Kennedy's super PAC hosted an online event last week, with two sources telling the publication that while another presidential bid wasn't openly discussed it felt like the current Health and Human Services secretary was testing the waters. The call attracted hundreds of supporters and influencers that are part of Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement. Among them - comedian Russell Brand - who has attached himself to the MAHA movement after becoming sober. Brand pleaded not guilty to rape charges in May in the United Kingdom. Leading the call were MAHA PAC leader Tony Lyons, vaccine skeptic Robert Malone and Stefanie Spear, who ran communications for Kennedy's 2024 campaign, Axios said. The call was organized by Lyons' non-profit, MAHA Action, with sources telling the publication that Lyons' involvement signaled the PAC would again support Kennedy, should he give a White House run another go. Lyons did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Kennedy stepping into campaign mode could ruffle feathers with President Donald Trump, who - with his large campaign coffers - is positioning himself as kingmaker for any future Republican hopefuls. When Kennedy announced his presidential ambitions in April 2023, he ran as a Democrat, the party of his famous political family. In October 2023, when it was clear he wouldn't win a Democratic primary against President Joe Biden, he launched an independent presidential run instead. After Trump was nearly assassinated on July 13, 2024, Kennedy and the then Republican nominee started having conversations about joining forces. Trump said he would embrace Kennedy's MAHA movement, Kennedy in turn would endorse him. That happened the day after the Democratic National Convention wrapped up in August 2024, taking some wind out of Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris' sails. The Trump-Kennedy coalition helped Trump win all seven swing states on Election Day. Trump named Kennedy as his HHS head nine days later. Since taking over HHS, Kennedy has shrunk the size of the federal agency, canceled billions in grants to universities and public health departments and changed COVID vaccine regulations. Daily Mail's July poll conducted by J.L. Partners found that Kennedy's approval rating ran in the middle of the pack compared to other prominent political figures. Trump had higher favorables than Kennedy - with 26 percent holding a very favorable view of the president and 18 percent holding a somewhat favorable view. But Trump's cumulative negative rating stood at 51 percent. With Kennedy, 16 percent held a very favorable view of the HHS secretary while another 25 percent viewed him somewhat favorably. Forty-six percent viewed Kennedy unfavorably, in a poll with a plus or minus 3.1 percent margin of error.
Fox News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Charlie Kirk names JD Vance as guiding light for young conservatives, but says GOP must deliver on promises
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk points to Vice President JD Vance as the conservative candidate to beat among young voters in the 2028 presidential election, should he run. During an interview at last weekend's Turning Point Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, Kirk said he believes Vance will be the candidate that young Americans look up to as the future leader of the conservative movement once President Donald Trump leaves office. "I think JD Vance fits that mold really well," the political activist said when asked by Fox News Digital who the guiding light for young conservative voters in 2028 will be. Kirk, whose mission with TPUSA is to educate and engage young voters and students on conservative principles, named several qualities which allow the vice president to connect with younger people. "He can operate seamlessly in a podcast environment," he said, remarking that Vance has a "wonderful family." Kirk also mentioned the 40-year-old Vance, the third-youngest VP in the nation's history, relates to younger Americans because of his age, while acknowledging Vance hasn't committed to a presidential bid. "He's the youngest vice president in quite some time, one of the youngest in American history," he said. Beyond Vance, Kirk stressed that any future leader of the conservative movement needs to address the top concerns of young people in America today, namely the high cost of living. "But outside of the candidate, we need to actually be able to deliver and go to the American people and go to the younger voters and say, 'Here's how your life was, and now it's easier for you to own a home. You don't have to rent for the rest of your life. It's easier to get married, easier to have children.'" Elsewhere in the interview, Kirk warned Republicans that the GOP may lose the young voters that helped Trump win the White House in 2024 if they don't deliver on cost-of-living issues. "The biggest threat to the Republican Party in 2028 is if we do not deliver on our promises of [home]ownership for the next generation," Kirk told Fox News Digital. "The youth vote didn't just vote for Donald Trump. Young voters put Donald Trump in the White House." The TPUSA founder also stressed that the future conservative leader would have to deliver on the major issues conservatives of all ages are focused on. "We have to deliver on immigration, on the deportations. We have to deliver, I think, on managing the size and scope of the federal government from cost savings and from cutting spending," he said. Kirk mentioned that he "would love" for Vance to be the man that takes up the conservative mantle, referring to himself as a "big JD guy." However, he noted that it's more important that, whoever the candidate is, they are solid on core conservative issues. "I say, 'Guys, if we don't deliver, it doesn't matter who you run, because then we're going to have big problems,'" he said.
Al Arabiya
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Takeaways from Ap report on Democrats already lining up for the 2028 presidential race
Political jockeying among Democrats for the 2028 presidential contest appears to be playing out earlier, with more frequency and with less pretense than ever before. It's only 2025, but several potential candidates are already taking steps to get to know voters in the states that will matter most in the nomination process. And with no clear Democratic front-runner, upwards of 30 high-profile Democrats could ultimately enter the 2028 primary. Here are highlights from The Associated Press reporting on possible hopefuls' moves in traditional early voting states: South Carolina Hot in July: Over the span of 10 days this month, three Democratic presidential prospects are scheduled to campaign in South Carolina. The state is expected to host the Democratic Party's opening presidential primary contest in early 2028, although the calendar hasn't been finalized. California Gov. Gavin Newsom was referred to as a presidential candidate at one stop last week, although he insisted he was there simply to strengthen the party for the midterms. Term-limited Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who acknowledges he's considering a 2028 bid, will spend two days touring South Carolina later this week. He'll focus on the state's Black community while drawing an implicit contrast with Newsom on cultural issues. California Rep. Ro Khanna, a progressive aligned with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, will target union members and Black voters when he's in the state a few days later. And former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is having private conversations about a potential run with key South Carolina Democrats, including Rep. Jim Clyburn. A Kentucky Democrat Up Next: Beshear, Kentucky's 47-year-old two-term governor, is scheduled to make multiple appearances in South Carolina on Wednesday and Thursday in what will be his first visit to the state on political grounds. He'll highlight his appeal among red-state moderates and Black voters in a Thursday speech hosted by the Georgetown County Democrats in a region that voted three times for Trump and has a large African American population. 'Democrats have a huge opportunity to seize the middle and win back the voters who have been increasingly skeptical of the Democratic brand. But it's going to take focus and discipline,' he will say, according to speech excerpts obtained by the AP. Already a Sense of Urgency: Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a rising star in the Democratic party, told the AP that presidential prospects need to be more visible earlier as Democrats work to recover from their disastrous performance in the 2024 election. 'What freaks most Democrats out is not really understanding who's up next. Like who's got next?' she said. 'And I think that that is really what people want most; they want their presidential nominee now.' Voters and local officials in key states tend to agree. Jody Gaulin, the Democratic chair in South Carolina's deep-red Oconee County, hopes the energy that comes along with potential presidential hopefuls could boost her party's ranks. 'This is exactly what we've been waiting for,' Gaulin said. In New Hampshire, 46-year-old Democrat Jane Lescynski was eager to answer when asked to what extent she's thinking about the 2028 presidential election. 'I can't wait,' she said. Clyburn, the Kingmaker? Clyburn, South Carolina's only Democratic congressman, told the AP he's had direct contact with Emanuel, Beshear, and Khanna. He also appeared with Newsom last week and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in May. Clyburn said he doesn't have an early favorite in the 2028 Democratic nomination contest and may not endorse at all in what he expects to be a very large field. 'It can be Gavin Newsom, it can be Wes Moore, Andy Beshear, Ro Khanna, whoever it is, I think they're going to have a very good reception amongst the voters,' Clyburn told the AP. 'I feel good about Democrats in general.' Don't Sleep on New Hampshire and Iowa: New Hampshire Democratic leaders are privately encouraging 2028 prospects to visit the state. Unlike South Carolina, New Hampshire features two competitive House races and a top-tier Senate race in next years midterms. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, campaigned Friday in the state with Rep. Chris Pappas, who is expected to represent Democrats on the Senate ballot next fall. She insisted her only purpose in visiting was backing Pappas' campaign. Illinois Gov. Pritzker headlined a key state fundraiser in May. And while Iowa may have lost its top spot on the Democrats' primary calendar, with at least two competitive House races it will almost certainly be a top draw for ambitious Democrats. Pete Buttigieg, a former Biden Cabinet member and a 2020 presidential candidate, hosted a town hall in Iowa in May. Others are moving more cautiously. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has avoided any early state travel this year, focusing instead on his 2026 reelection. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also focused largely on her day job. Both would be top-tier presidential candidates should they decide to run.
