Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) suggested the Democratic Party‘s future will consist of “a progressive takeover,” which he credited Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) for fueling ahead of the 2028 election.
The party is still seeking to regain its footing following the 2024 election cycle, and after it elected Ken Martin as its new Democratic National Committee chairman in February. Khanna suggested that the party is “very close” to consisting of more progressive lawmakers than centrist ones, citing how Sanders’s previous presidential bids were almost successful despite “fighting uphill” against “establishment forces” within the party.
“The game plan is to make sure that we have, just like you had Bill Clinton, we had 20 years of these centrist, corporate Democrats, to make sure you have 20 years of progressive Democrats,” Khanna explained on The Adam Friedland Show.
Khanna added that centrist lawmakers in his party have financial backing and name recognition, but that progressive candidates need “a progressive base energized and mobilized.” He noted how active Sanders supporters were in 2020 and that the voting bloc of progressive voters will expand ahead of the 2028 elections.
The comment led Friedland to joke that Sanders, currently 83, will still be “only” in his 80s when the 2028 election arrives. Khanna, however, claimed that Sanders would be president in 2028 if the Vermont senator were “10 years younger,” prompting Friedland to sigh.
Friedland, 38, also joked about possibly running for office, adding that he could be vice president with sports journalist Stephen A. Smith as president. Khanna said, “I like Stephen,” but noted that Friedman would first have to get Smith “to be progressive.”
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Smith’s possible 2028 bid has gained some traction since President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, though the ESPN host has mostly sought to tamp down this possibility. Smith has called himself “a fiscal conservative and a social liberal,” and said in April that he will “leave the door open for any possibility” of a presidential role.
Sanders, who previously ran in the Democratic Party’s presidential primaries in 2016 and 2020, was asked about possibly seeking the Oval Office again in 2028. He responded by saying he is “very happy” to be a Vermont senator, but noted that he is “83 years of age” and “tired.”