Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) this week hailed a new draft committee organized by supporters to help him run for president in 2028, as Democrats begin considering in earnest who the party will push to succeed President Donald Trump after a victorious midterm election.
Khanna has not yet announced a presidential bid, but is likely to do so, having repeatedly suggested he is “seriously thinking” about the move and having toured battleground states.
The California Democrat’s allies unveiled on Wednesday the “Run Ro” committee to garner money from donors and begin building support for a Khanna candidacy, according to NBC News. Khanna, a progressive, praised the initiative led by former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and strategist Nomiki Konst in a statement.
“I’m honored that people are encouraging me to run on a platform of Medicare for All, ending foreign wars and taxing the billionaires,” he said. “We need America’s Next New Deal. Whether I run or support someone else is something I will decide with my family after the holidays.”
While Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) continues to lead preliminary polling as Democrats’ 2028 nominee, Khanna’s draft committee announcement marks the latest indication he has no intention of clearing the field for his progressive ally in the House.
The California congressman has already traveled to South Carolina, the first Democratic primary state in 2028, to campaign for midterm candidates. Khanna has also been to Nevada, the second state in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary, more than any other potential presidential candidate. Khanna toured Pennsylvania, another pivotal battleground state, in July.
“I’m not going to be the most charismatic guy — I’m not going to be the person doing the most fun TikToks,” Khanna said at an event with the Nevada Independent last month, in remarks previewing his possible presidential campaign. “If this country, after a showboat and showman, wants substance, if they actually want a substantive plan for how to have economic security and success across America, then I would submit that if I run, then I should be considered.”
Khanna favors a new economic order in the United States, as he is skeptical of AI’s impact on the workforce and says voters face a cost-of-living crisis.
“If we don’t do something dramatically different, we may break,” he told NPR in August. “I’m the nice guy. I just want a new social contract.”
The California Democrat is known for opposing his party’s more establishment wing, led by figures such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), whom the congressman has sought to oust.
Khanna is recognized as a fierce advocate for progressive policies, including free college, Medicare for All, government intervention in artificial intelligence development, and a 5% tax on billionaires, which put him at odds with Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). He backed Zohran Mamdani to become New York City’s first socialist mayor and co-chaired Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign.
In the latest election cycle, Maine Sen.-elect Troy Jackson and Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul el Sayed, both progressive politicians, were two of the candidates Khanna endorsed in the midterm elections, with the congressman embracing an especially close alliance with el Sayed, who shares his fierce criticisms of Israel.
ACCIDENTAL WINNERS FROM THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
Khanna celebrated Tuesday’s blue wave for Democrats as a win for DEI efforts, noting the gubernatorial campaign victories of Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia, Byron Donalds in Florida and Crowley in Minnesota. Gina Hinojosa became the first Hispanic governor in Texas, el Sayed in Michigan became the country’s first Muslim senator, and New Hampshire’s Chris Pappas became the first gay man elected to the Senate.
“Tonight, DEI is back as Americans celebrated diversity and inclusion,” Khanna said in a video posted to X. “Likely three Black governors, the first Latina governor in Texas, the first Muslim American senator, the first gay [male] senator. I love this America!”