The 2026 midterm elections may be dominating the news cycle, but the 2028 presidential race is already on the horizon.
Within the Democratic Party, several high-profile figures have begun signaling interest in President Donald Trump’s soon-to-be-open seat. While no campaigns have been launched, several prominent Democrats have started positioning themselves for a run.
Kamala Harris
Despite her defeat in the 2024 presidential election, former Vice President Kamala Harris has kept herself in the public spotlight.
Over the summer, Harris announced her book, 107 Days, a memoir recounting the 2024 election, sparking rumors that it was related to a 2028 bid. Harris also weighed running for California governor before ultimately acknowledging that the race was “not her calling.”
In February, Harris relaunched the social media accounts for her 2024 campaign, Kamala HQ, in an effort to reach young voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. While a social media rebrand does not confirm a presidential bid, experts say, “this signals that Harris is interested and that she is far from done in the political sphere.”
In a February podcast, author Sharon McMahon asked Harris if she would consider running again in 2028. “I haven’t decided,” Harris said, “I might.”
Gavin Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will term out of his current role in January 2027, and his high-profile friction with Trump has led to rumors of a White House bid for the California governor.
Newsom has risen to political stardom through boldly engaging in the culture wars. His aggressive strategy mimics and mocks Trump and his allies by using similar branding, social media tactics, and all-caps language.
In January, Newsom stepped onto the world stage at the World Economic Forum and Munich Security Conference. Newsom said world leaders likely see the United States as a “wrecking ball” under its current leadership.
He told CNN’s Kasie Hunt, “They see us as unreliable, and a lot of them think irrevocable. They don’t think we’ll ever come back to our original form.”
“I’m not as convinced of that. Whatever happens, we can undo, we can shapeshift, we can fix it,” Newsom added.
In a February interview with the Guardian, Newsom said his decision would come down to whether he can bring something unique to the pool of candidates.
“If someone else doesn’t have that fire and sense of purpose and mission, then yeah, I could see myself stepping into that void,” he said. He also said that he’d be “happy to step aside” if a candidate he believes in enters the race.
Cory Booker
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), who ran for the presidency during the 2020 cycle, shot up in popularity last April after he delivered a historic 25-plus-hour speech protesting the Department of Government Efficiency.
Booker is also joining other 2028 Democratic contenders with a book tour for his memoir that will start in March.
On an early voting trip to New Hampshire, Booker said he was thinking about running. “I haven’t ruled it out,” he added.
On Monday, Booker announced a plan to eliminate the first $75,000 of income for most households, a change aimed at shifting the tax burden to higher earners.
Ruben Gallego
Sen. Ruben Gallego’s (D-AZ) victory in a competitive red state served as a bright spot amid dismal election returns for Democrats in 2024. Since his election, Gallego has been seeking the spotlight, appearing on late-night programming and picking fights with Trump.
In Arizona, Gallego won over both Hispanic voters and the working class, both demographics slipping away from the Democrats.
“He’s won in a red state and overperformed with demographics that you need to win a presidential campaign, not only with Latino voters but male voters, suburban voters, and some Republican voters,” Democratic strategist and Gallego adviser Chuck Rocha told The Hill.
In August, Gallego visited the Iowa State Fair. He said his trip was to focus on the 2026 midterm elections, but he did not rule out a 2028 White House bid.
“It’s a long time from now,” Gallego said. “You’re going to have to go get permission from my wife for us to even be thinking about that. For now, let’s just focus on 2026.”
Mark Kelly
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has had a standout career. Before becoming a politician, he was an astronaut and went to space four times, served 25 years in the Navy as a captain, and flipped a historically red seat. He was also under consideration to be Harris’s running mate in 2024, but was ultimately passed over.
Kelly’s national profile grew significantly after he was accused of “seditious behavior” by Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth in 2025. Kelly and five other senators, the “Seditious Six,” urged troops to disobey unspecified “illegal orders” in a November video clip. Kelly used the resulting media attention to ramp up his fundraising efforts, painting himself as a victim of “political persecution,” according to fundraising texts.
The senator told BBC he is “seriously considering” a 2028 presidential run “because we’re in some seriously challenging times.”
Pete Buttigieg
As mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg shocked the nation during the 2020 Democratic primary after winning the Iowa caucuses and coming in second in the New Hampshire primary. Buttigieg, then dubbed “Mayor Pete,” ultimately dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden.
Buttigieg earned a spot in the Biden administration as transportation secretary, making him the openly gay U.S. cabinet official. After his time serving as transportation secretary, Buttigieg considered running in Michigan’s 2026 Senate race but decided against it, setting himself up for the 2028 primary.
“My party needs to have the imagination to take the departure of this president not as the be-all, end-all goal of our existence, but as the beginning of the question of what has to come next,” he said at the Detroit Auto Show in January.
When asked if he was planning to run for president in 2028, Buttigieg replied, “I don’t know.” Cultivating the imagination of the Democratic Party is “one of the things I’m working on every day,” he added.
Josh Shapiro
Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) is leading the charge to turn a pivotal swing state blue in 2026. After his landslide victory in 2022, Shapiro’s name has appeared among other Democratic Govs. such as Wes Moore (D-MD), Newsom, and Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL).
Shapiro was also considered as a running mate for Harris before Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) was selected.
The 2026 election will serve as a presidential audition for Shapiro. According to Axios, top Democrats believe that a successful 2026 election could help him stand out in a competitive field.
Shapiro is approaching the 2026 election with confidence. “In 2026, Pennsylvania will be at the center of putting a stop to [GOP policies] by flipping the House,” said his spokesman, Manuel Bonder.
Last May, Shapiro hinted at a bid for national politics. “A year ago, when someone would say that to me, I quite candidly would just laugh.” But now, “I hear them say it because they’re scared about what’s happening in D.C.,” he said.
JB Pritzker
Pritzker’s national profile rose over clashes with Trump on immigration and law enforcement. In October, he filed a lawsuit to block Trump from deploying the National Guard to Chicago.
He has also spoken out about immigration efforts in Chicago. He called Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city an “unconstitutional invasion by the federal government.” The Department of Homeland Security disputed these claims.
Democratic strategists like James Carville have spoken favorably of Pritzker a potential party nominee.
“If I had to say one guy — I really don’t know him, very superficially — but if I were like betting the Kentucky Derby and I saw this 12-to-1 horse and I said, ‘Yeah, I want to get a price,’ I’d take JB Pritzker,” Carville said during an appearance on the Arroyo Grande podcast.
Illinois Democrats want to move the state’s 2028 primary earlier in the hope of gaining more influence in picking the Democratic nominee. The state used this strategy in 2008 to help then-junior Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.
When asked if he would run for president in 2028, Pritzker responded that he “can’t rule anything out.”
Andy Beshear
Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) has won twice as a Democrat in red Kentucky. While his national profile is lower than some other candidates, Beshear is hopeful that he can win Democratic voters in rural areas.
“We still have to grapple with the fact that the Democratic Party has lost ground in many parts of the country, especially in rural America,” he wrote in the Washington Post.
In February, Beshear was asked when he would make a decision about running. He said he was focused on his term as governor. After that, Beshear said would “sit down with my family [and decide],” he said.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) carries enough star power to change the race if she were to enter. Ocasio-Cortez is one of the best-known lawmakers in her party.
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People familiar with Ocasio-Cortez’s operations say she and her team are preparing for either a Senate or presidential run in 2028, Axios reports.
Ocasio-Cortez recently made her international debut at the Munich Security Conference, where she was criticized for foreign policy missteps, prompting some to question whether she is ready for a presidential campaign.
Other contenders
Beyond the most frequently discussed Democratic contenders, a number of Democratic lawmakers and governors have also emerged in conversations about the party’s direction in 2028.
Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) has explicitly denied any interest in a 2028 presidential run, despite widely being considered a contender.
“I’m not running for president,” he said in an interview on CBS News, adding that he sees no reason to look beyond his present role.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) has also weighed in on the party’s future direction.
The senator criticized the Democratic Party for being a party of “status quo when people want to see us move in a different direction,” he said in an interview with NPR. In the same interview, Van Hollen also indicated that he wanted to play a “big part” in shaping the party’s path in the 2028 election cycle.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has drawn national attention after his role in advancing legislation related to the release of the Epstein files.
Khanna, who co-chaired Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, is positioning himself to run as a progressive voice in the Democratic primary. This summer, Khanna will set out on a “Benefits over Billionaires” tour, including three stops in South Carolina, where he aims to hear directly from black voters.
Rahm Emanuel, former Obama White House chief of staff, U.S. Ambassador to Japan, and Mayor of Chicago, has been snagging media attention since returning home last year.
When told he sounded like a potential 2028 candidate, Emanuel responded: “I am in training. I don’t know if I’ll make the Olympics.”
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Emmanuel recently visited western Michigan, an important state for Democrats, to meet with union leaders about skilled trades training.
With the presidential primary beginning to take shape, potential contenders are eager to test their national profiles and policy messaging as the Democrats debate the shape of their party after losing in 2024.