“Ambitious Democrats with an eye on a presidential run are in the middle of a slow-motion Sister Souljah moment,” Politico reports.
“Searching for a path out of the political wilderness, potential 2028 candidates, especially those hailing from blue states, are attempting to ratchet back a leftward lurch on social issues some in the party say cost them the November election.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) “is already making moves to appeal to moderates and boost his national profile barely five months after winning his seat,” Axios reports.
Said Gallego: “What happened the last election is that we got so pure, and we kept so pure that we started kicking people out of the tent. It ends up there aren’t enough people in the tent to win elections.”
“Gallego — who kept his seat in the Democrats’ column despite Trump’s victory in Arizona — is planning additional stops in key battlegrounds over the coming months.”
“Andrew Cuomo hasn’t won the New York City mayor’s race yet, but he’s already planning a national campaign to take on President Donald Trump — whose Department of Justice is reportedly investigating him,” Politico reports.
“He said he’s not thinking of a future role beyond being mayor, but sees an opportunity to make a national case for Democrats.”
CNN: Andrew Cuomo campaigns for New York’s redemption— and his own.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) met with former Obama and Biden advisers in South Carolina, the Baltimore Sun reports.
“Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) is launching a new PAC aimed at taking on President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress — the latest sign the Connecticut Democrat is eyeing higher office,” Politico reports.
“Wes Moore made an early and urgent appeal Friday to one of the nation’s most important Democratic constituencies,” Politico reports.
“The first-term governor of Maryland said Democrats must adapt and change to counter President Donald Trump and improve life for the middle class if they have any hope of returning to power.”
Said Moore: “Gone are the days when we are the party of bureaucracy, multi-year studies, panels, and college debate club rules. We must be the party of action.”
“I think there are different ways of looking at politics. Some politicians look at voters and electorates and try to make predictions. I really do believe, even despite all of this, I really do believe in people. I believe in our collective conscience. So, I don’t have any master plan, but I believe that the people will show me the way.”
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Freshman Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) “was a rare bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise bleak 2024. In a year when Donald Trump won all seven battleground states and Democrats lost three Senate seats, Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake in Arizona by 2.4 points—despite Trump carrying the state by 5.5 points in the presidential race,” The Dispatch reports.
“It’s little wonder, then, that Gallego’s name is routinely tossed around as a plausible 2028 presidential candidate.”
“Rahm Emanuel, never humble about his political skills, is trying to accomplish something that seems far-fetched even for him: push his Democratic Party—rooted in the identity politics of the left—to the center,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The former congressman, White House chief of staff, Chicago mayor and diplomat is direct about what he thinks Democrats need to do to win national elections again. He calls the party’s brand ‘toxic’ and ‘weak and woke,’ a nod to culture-war issues he thinks Democrats have become too often fixated on that President Trump has successfully used against them.”
“While Emanuel is coy about what he wants next for his political career, he appears to be laying the groundwork for a presidential bid.“
Donald Trump Jr said in Qatar that he could maybe run for president one day, adding “that calling is there,” USA Today reports.
Said Trump: “So the answer is I don’t know, maybe one day. You know, that calling is there. I’ll always be very active in terms of being a vocal proponent of these things. I think my father has truly changed the Republican Party.”
Time: “Like a lot of Democrats these days, Chris Murphy has been doing some soul searching. For years, the Connecticut Senator, who took office shortly after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, was one of the nation’s most outspoken advocates for tighter gun laws. Gun safety was so important, he argued, that supporting an assault-weapons ban should be mandatory for Democratic leaders.”
“Recently, Murphy has come to believe he was wrong. Not about tougher gun laws, but about trying to force all Democrats to adopt his position.”
Said Murphy: “I bear some responsibility for where we are today. I spent a long time trying to make the issue of guns a litmus test for the Democratic Party. I think that all of the interest groups that ended up trying to apply a litmus test for their issue ended up making our coalition a lot smaller.”
“Democrats look like they’re headed to another presidential primary dogpile in 2028, whether they want it or not,” Semafor reports.
9And a party that’s plainly addicted to nominating senators and ex-senators — 1940 was the last year Democrats ran a ticket without at least a running mate of senatorial heritage — may end up doing the same in 2028.”
“At least a half-dozen senators are now viewed as potential 2028 candidates by their colleagues and top Democrats on Capitol Hill, a mix of new faces and familiar ones.”
CNN: “The 21st of July looms for Kamala Harris and the much smaller world of advisers left around her. It’s the day she’s set to lose the US Secret Service protection that former vice presidents are granted for six months — six months from the inauguration that she believed would be her own after Joe Biden gave her 107 days to win the 2024 election when he ended his reelection bid last July 21.”
“By this date, multiple people close to her say they increasingly believe Harris will have finally ended the intrigue over her political future and be preparing for a 2026 California gubernatorial run. Though she hasn’t made up her mind yet, several of those people tell CNN they expect an official launch would likely come in August or soon after Labor Day.”
New York Times: “Before the shadow primary — the quiet frenzy of courting donors, aides and the news media that defines the earliest stages of a presidential race — comes a period of politics that is a bit louder and a whole lot sillier.”
“Call it the chatter primary.”
“And this year, the talk about the 2028 presidential race seems to be coming from nearly every direction in the Democratic Party.”
“The party’s next primary battle is widely expected to be highly competitive and very crowded. Political kibitzers have flung around at least 19 names, crafting an early list that includes governors, senators, House members, former Biden administration officials and even some business leaders.”
A new J.L. Partners survey found 46% of Republican voters are ready to back Vice President J.D. Vance as President Donald Trump’s successor, while no other named prospect got more than double-digit support.
Just 8% would back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while 7% supported Vivek Ramaswamy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) each received 6% support.
Politico: “Joe Biden may have cost Democrats the White House in 2024. Their inability to admit it, some Democrats fear, could hobble them in 2028.”
“As a fresh reckoning in the party unfolds around the former president’s mental acuity, potential presidential contenders have mostly dodged questions about his condition while in office. They’ve also sidestepped whether the party should have more forcefully called on him to abandon his reelection bid earlier.”
Playbook: “On some basic level, this is about credibility and authenticity. Biden’s decline while in office was apparent to most voters; the public was upfront from very early on in the 2024 cycle with their doubts about his age and acuity. And so the ability to acknowledge what is plain in most voters’ eyes risks becoming a basic test of candor and honesty.”
For members: A Few Thoughts on the Biden Book
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.