Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said she would coast to victory if she were ever to square off against Vice President JD Vance in a presidential election, Mediaite reports.
Said Ocasio-Cortez: “Listen, these polls, like three years out are, you know, they are what they are. But let the record show I would stomp him. I would stomp him!”
President Trump said that GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson offered him “another $250 million” to run for a third term in the White House, Mediaite reports.
Washington Post: “Pritzker’s personal fortune has given him a ready-made war chest that has powered his ascent as a Democratic donor, candidate and officeholder during the past three decades, a close examination of his career shows. His money opened doors to elite fundraising circles and close relationships with Hillary Clinton and other powerful Democrats; instantly turned on a cash spigot in his first run for governor; endeared him to abortion rights activists as he cut checks for ballot measures in a raft of states; and covered the costs of travel on private jets — all without the time-consuming task of dialing other wealthy patrons to donate to him.”
“To some, that makes him an avatar of a problematic combination of money and politics. Many other Democrats argue that his wealth has given him the freedom to champion policies that benefit everyday people without the constraints of owing favors to donors.”
“Gavin Newsom’s Democratic rivals are plotting how to take down the early 2028 frontrunner, with a heavy emphasis on how unpopular his left-leaning views are outside deep-blue California,” Axios reports.
“Our conversations with more than 20 Democratic operatives, including several working for 2028 hopefuls, reveal that they see the California governor as the guy to beat — and a guy with a lot of personal baggage that’s exploitable for a presidential primary.”
“Kamala Harris isn’t planning to go gentle into that good night. This week the former vice president made clear to potential 2028 rivals that she’s working to keep another White House campaign viable,” Axios reports.
“Despite worries from party leaders and donors that she can’t win, Harris remains at or near the top of most 2028 Democratic primary polls. She also has strong support among Black voters — the most critical voting bloc in most recent Democratic presidential primaries.”
“After lying low the first part of this year and then embarking on a 2024-focused book tour, Harris made several moves this week that many Democrats see as the beginnings of a 2028 campaign.”
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California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s willingness to battle President Trump has made his popularity soar, with a new poll finding that Newsom’s overall approval rating is now at 56%, a 10% jump since June, NewsNation reports.
Chuck Todd: “It’s a way for moderates to earn the left’s emotional allegiance without having to contort themselves ideologically. Progressives may not love every policy choice Newsom or Kelly has made, but they love seeing Democrats who punch back. They are motivated by the fight as much as by the platform.”
“Newsom understands this better than most. He genuinely believes he’s a moderate — that California Democrats have been caricatured nationally as uniformly far-left, and that he himself is less progressive than the brand assigned to him. He may be right. But he also knows this perception is a problem he can solve after he is taken seriously as a front-runner. And right now, thanks to his high-profile confrontations, he pretty much is.”
“Kelly benefits from the same dynamic. He didn’t move left. He didn’t change his priorities. He simply showed a willingness to throw a punch — and suddenly the progressive world was praising him for his toughness rather than scrutinizing him for ideological purity.”
Cheryl Hines has said she does not believe her husband, Robert F Kennedy Jr, will run for the White House after Donald Trump’s presidency, The Guardian reports.
Said Hines: “Gosh, he’s not going to run for president.”
However, she subsequently conceded that Kennedy at one point “didn’t think he was going to go into politics – and the next thing you know he’s telling me he wants to run.”
New York Times: “Old advisers, both allied and estranged, have squinted from afar at her book tour, wondering what exactly her strategy is, or if there is any at all. She has done little to distance herself from former President Joe Biden besides admitting aloud that it was ‘recklessness’ on her part not to have discouraged him from running again. There has been virtually none of the strategic repackaging that a future candidate typically does, the buffing out of flaws and shining up of strengths.”
“Defeat hit Ms. Harris deeply. She had not felt such grief since the death of her mother, she has said, a line that sears even as she repeats it so often as to become a talking point. She spent the early months of 2025 cooking and cocooning away from the cameras.”
“But it has been a year since her loss to President Trump, the traditional period of mourning.”
“I don’t know. You never know until they’re tested. You know, it’s like, uh, you jump in the water; you can swim or you can’t… I think we have a very good bench… But you never know.”
— President Trump, in an interview with Politico, on who might be his successor as the Republican presidential nominee.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) on Monday is expected to launch a Senate bid that will dramatically reshape the race for the seat held by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the Dallas Morning News reports.
She’s already chased Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) out of the race.
“Gov. Andy Beshear has spent years building a distinct political identity in the reliably red commonwealth of Kentucky by winning statewide as a Democrat even as Republican power has surrounded him,” CBS News reports.
“He’s now playing a crucial role that will influence whether there will be others like him around the country.”
“Heading into what could be a favorable national political environment in the 2026 midterms, Beshear is leading the Democratic Governors Association as it tries to win in states where his party has either lost ground or are hoping to hold on to critical seats.”
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said he agrees with Michelle Obama that the U.S. is not yet ready for a woman president, but he still intends to support women candidates, Politico reports.
Said Clyburn: “As we saw in this past election, sadly we ain’t ready. That’s why I’m like, ‘Don’t even look at me about running because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman.’”
“Progressives are already plotting a primary challenge to Sen. John Fetterman when he’s up for reelection in 2028. But whether Fetterman’s around to be primaried at all is another question,” NOTUS reports.
“The freshman senator seems to be leaving all doors open… reelection, retirement and even a long-shot run for president. Some think he’s likely to leave the Senate, which they say he doesn’t seem to enjoy much.”
“During a video appearance at a reunion of his former federal cost-cutting team, Elon Musk predicted that the country is at the start of a ‘great 12-year span’ composed of the second Trump administration followed by two consecutive JD Vance terms,” Politico reports.
“Donald Trump Jr is emerging as a potential choice to succeed his father on the Republican ticket in 2028, at least according to one poll,” The Independent reports.
“JD Vance would still appear to be the front runner to take on the mantle for the GOP, pollsters McLaughlin and Associates say. But their latest survey of voters in November shows his favorability has fallen to 34 percent, after consistently dropping for several months.”
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk said her organization’s efforts to support a potential JD Vance presidential campaign in 2028 are “in the works,” CNN reports.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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