Politico: “It was only a little more than a year ago that Florida’s Republican governor came in second to President Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses. Trump’s victory last November has triggered a tidal wave of changes in the federal government, including an emphasis on the same policies and ideas that were first championed by DeSantis when Trump was out of office.”

“And yet this one-time rising conservative star is now grappling with a diminished relevance in America’s political firmament. He can’t run for governor again in 2026. DeSantis has also made it clear that he had no interest in heading to the U.S. Senate like his predecessor Rick Scott. He’s facing resistance from emboldened Republicans who once bent to his will and Trump has endorsed a candidate to succeed DeSantis even though the governor’s wife Casey is seriously considering her own run.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hit the road this week for a series of appearances and said he wouldn’t be there if not for “the void,” CNN reports.

“He says too many Democratic leaders are still not truly grappling with how bad things are politically for them, what he believes is President Donald Trump’s march toward authoritarianism or the anger and frustration at both parties building across the country.”

Said Walz: “Our leadership’s not going to be the charismatic DC leader or whatever. It’s going to be the person who’s reading the room the best of where these people are at.”

As former Vice President Kamala Harris considers running in California’s gubernatorial race, many of her powerful and longtime national supporters tell ABC News they are lukewarm on a potential 2028 presidential run.

Said one donor: “I think she’s done at the top of the ticket. I think the country will not have moved in a progressive direction during that time, it will have become more conservative.”

“Just eight months after President Trump picked J.D. Vance to be his vice president, Vance is already positioned to be MAGA’s heir apparent for 2028,” Axios reports.

Said Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN): “I think it’s inevitable at this point that Vance will be the nominee in 2028. He’s the future of the America First movement and he’s already proven himself.”

“Many of Trump’s longest-serving aides and most fervent supporters now see the vice president as the vehicle to lock in Trump’s worldview for at least the next decade. In their view, Trump broke the old Republican Party — and Vance can finish building the new one.”

New York Times: “Quiet conversations about the next race for the White House are already underway among Democratic strategists, activists and, yes, a stable of would-be, could-be candidates. None would dare announce any such aspiration aloud. Many have yet to decide, even privately, whether they will take steps toward a bid.”

“But why let reality get in the way of a good shadow primary? Across the country, political operatives, donors and journalists are scrutinizing and overanalyzing these Democrats’ words, policy positions and travel schedules for any sign of presidential plotting. And these Democrats are sometimes — if not often — leaving breadcrumbs to lure such attention.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear took a swipe at a fellow leading Democrat, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, for hosting one of the most prominent figures in the MAGA movement on his new podcast, Politico reports.

Said Beshear: “I think that Governor Newsom bringing on different voices is great, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk and to debate just about anyone. But Steve Bannon espouses hatred and anger, and even at some points violence, and I don’t think we should give him oxygen on any platform, ever, anywhere.”

Wall Street Journal: “Newsom rose to prominence fighting Republicans from his perch leading one of the nation’s Democratic meccas. But after Trump’s win in November, the governor—widely seen in the party as a potential 2028 candidate for president—isn’t just arguing with conservatives, he is occasionally agreeing with them.”

“The moves all come as Newsom, who is term limited from his role as governor, looks ahead to the 2028 election. Advisers say he hasn’t made a decision on a presidential run, and his reflection is about how the party overall can perform better.”

“Pete Buttigieg is expected to announce today he will not run for Michigan’s open Senate seat, clearing a path for a potential 2028 presidential campaign instead,” Politico reports.

“The former Transportation secretary previously confirmed he was ‘looking’ at a Senate campaign, and discussed the prospect with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Buttigieg’s decision to rule himself out is framed by allies and people in his inner circle as a bid to put himself in the strongest possible position to seek the presidency.”

Steve Bannon “repeatedly refused to rule out a presidential bid, as GOP sources close to him are increasingly speculating he is serious about running should President Donald Trump himself not campaign for a third term — a constitutionally barred idea Bannon has proposed,” Politico reports.

Said Bannon: “I don’t think like a politician. All I do is back President Trump and try to move the populist national agenda and the America First agenda.”

Bannon said after he left Trump’s White House that he would never return “as a staffer” and the “only time he would go back is if he were president.”

Jonathan Martin: “Since coming home in January from his stint in Tokyo — a job he repurposed to be American envoy to all of Asia — Emanuel has been as visible as any other Democrat. Never mind that he currently holds no office and hasn’t been on a ballot for a decade.”

“Name the political podcast and Emanuel has likely been on it or will be shortly. He immediately snagged a CNN contract and regular Washington Post column, no small accomplishment for a former official at a moment of retrenchment for news organizations.”

“He’s also hitting the lecture circuit, appearing for paid and gratis gigs before audiences such as the Realtors and the Chicago Economic Club. Emanuel is pointedly avoiding Ivy League campuses and later this month will make his first stop on a service academy tour when he speaks at West Point.”

“Just as striking is to talk to anybody in high-level Democratic politics who knows Emanuel — which is to say most everyone — and hear how matter of fact they are about the inevitability of his candidacy.”

Associated Press: “This is not the role he expected to play at this stage of his career. In fact, his team intentionally waited in the early weeks of the Trump presidency to launch what they are now calling his ‘stop oligarchy tour’ to see if a high-profile Democrat would fill the leadership void.”

Three high-level sources told Mediaite that Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son and an omnipresent MAGA evangelist across the internet, is seriously considering a run for president in 2028.

“Gavin Newsom will soon host his own podcast where the California governor will mix it up with MAGA personalities, open his vast Rolodex for frank conversations with Democrats about how to come back from the wilderness and break news on consequential policy decisions,” Politico reports.

“The solo venture from a likely presidential aspirant comes as Democrats writ large struggle to keep pace with the onslaught of actions from President Donald Trump and Republicans. Leaders from across the minority party are casting about for a compelling message while trying to break through in an increasingly siloed media environment. The podcast space, with its proliferation of Trump-friendly personalities, has proven especially challenging for Democrats.”

Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-CT) Instagram subscribers “have doubled since the start of the year, and he’s spent more on Meta ads than he did during his whole re-election campaign,” Politico reports.

Mark Cuban, the billionaire business mogul and “Shark Tank” star, quashed speculation he will be making a White House run in 2028 — even as he has become a prominent voice against Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington, Politico reports.

Jay Caspian Kang: “If the Democratic Party has a problem drawing young men who believe that the excesses of wokeness have left them behind, could there be a more appealing figure than the guy they’ve been watching argue about sports for the past decade?”