# Frontrunners for Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 16, 2025, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036 "2025-01-16T06:50:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 107
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2126 "2026-07-31T20:15:25Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > Just my opinion (and I don’t hate the guy at all personally) but when you mentioned this, it put together who Newsom reminds me of. He’s America’s Justin Trudeau. It’s not a 1:1 comparison but he’s got a similar sort of vibe to him where he’s a very love him or hate him type of guy maybe. But I neither love him nor hate him. He’s “okay.” I see some flaws, and some things I like. I’ve noticed some people do hate him, but honestly, I haven’t heard of many who love him. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2127 "2026-07-31T20:39:43Z")
Newsom’s done some good work in California, but gives off a very strong Douchebag Vibe to me, at least. Cheating with your best friend/campaign manager’s wife is also never going to win my vote. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2128 "2026-08-01T00:41:56Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > There are several competitive Senate races this cycle, and AFAICT none of the others is doing an aggressive national fundraising outreach. Talarico is getting 45% of his funds from outside Texas. Jackson is depending on national fundraising it seems. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Cheating with your best friend/campaign manager’s wife is also never going to win my vote. Newsom and his wife had announced their separation and even filed for divorce in January 2005, before the Affair. Pretty much in America, that is no longer called “cheating”. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2129 "2026-08-01T01:08:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Pretty much in America, that is no longer called “cheating”. His campaign manager had not separated from his wife. “Oh, he didn’t cheat - the wife did” cuts no ice with me. That was supposedly his good friend. It’s a scumbag move. Again, I’ve voted for Newsom in every election where I’ve been eligible to. I’m a lesser of evils voter and Newsom has always been that. If he were the Democratic nominee for president in 2028 I’d vote for him without a second thought. I suspect he’d actually be a pretty decent president. Doesn’t erase the fact that he’s a bit of a slick, entitled douchebag. So was John F. Kennedy, so was Bill Clinton. Hard to leverage likeable people into the job. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2130 "2026-08-01T21:57:05Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > As I’ve said all along, I believe that to be electable, the candidate has to be a white, straight, Christian (or at least not blatantly NON-Christian, i.e., a secular Jew would probably be okay), and above all, a MAN. Borderline good ol’ boy with some charisma and gravitas. > > Politics is the art of the possible. Face reality and accept it. This is one of the saddest and truest aspects of 21st century America. I think we’re about the same age, which means we became adults in the 1960s, which means that we were under the delusion that the future wouldn’t be as blatantly sexist, racist, homophobic, and Christian-centric as the present. Some of that definitely became true. What we didn’t foresee was the immense hatred that built up under the surface and the backlash that would follow as soon as it became acceptable to spew it out. Obama was a fakeout - a triumph that became a “never again”. I have no idea what the world, let alone the political world, will be like in 2028. In today’s world of August 2026, I firmly believe that no non-white can be elected president, along with no gay, no-non Christian (especially a Jew), no woman. They can succeed marvelously in some localities for lower offices. To win the presidency they would need to get support from all the disaffected and reluctant groups that didn’t support Clinton and Harris against the most not merely unqualified but seemingly totally disqualified person ever to run on a modern major party ticket. That means giving the mushy middle no conceivable reason to vote _against_ the Democratic candidate. Reasons to vote _for_ a Democrat would be a wonderfully tasty frosting, but the cake has to be something everybody would eat. I would love to be wrong about this but I can’t look at the last decade and believe that for a second. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2131 "2026-08-01T22:03:51Z")
Personally, my opposition to Newsom is based entirely on him not being a fighter. He says he’ll fight, but then when the time actually comes, well, he says he’ll fight. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2132 "2026-08-01T23:09:56Z")
Thanks for validating my earlier post, which some, who clearly lack reading comprehension skills, took to be an expression of my own bigoted preferences. 🤦🏽 I graduated from college in 1970, and it did seem like a more enlightened, less bigoted world was ahead of us. Sadly, it appears that we have regressed. Or, more likely, the backward thinking bigots were there all along hiding under the rocks waiting for a Donald Trump to come along and give them permission to come out and make themselves heard and felt. I have about 20 years left on this planet, and I won’t live to see things turn around. I hope I at least get to see some effort to turn things around. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2133 "2026-08-01T23:22:14Z")
I still blame Nixon for lifting the rock. His Southern Strategy is the most successful and long-lasting coalition building in American history, even beating out FDR’s New Deal. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2134 "2026-08-02T20:05:46Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > That means giving the mushy middle no conceivable reason to vote _against_ the Democratic candidate. Which if criterion #1 is being a “fighter” is a tricky deal. Because the mushy middle doesn’t enjoy perceiving a rough “street” fight, and at the same time the hardliners may just stay home in disgust at your weakness if they see you giving a “sporting” fight. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2135 "2026-08-02T21:33:52Z")
The middle also doesn’t like milquetoasts. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2136 "2026-08-02T22:19:48Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Personally, my opposition to Newsom is based entirely on him not being a fighter. He says he’ll fight, but then when the time actually comes, well, he says he’ll fight. Newsom’s record on Gay rights shows that he fought hard. He fights hard against MAGA stupidity also. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2137 "2026-08-12T04:35:23Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > As I’ve said all along, I believe that to be electable, the candidate has to be a white, straight, Christian (or at least not blatantly NON-Christian, i.e., a secular Jew would probably be okay), and above all, a MAN. Borderline good ol’ boy with some charisma and gravitas. Why don’t we start sewing the yellow stars onto our shirts now to beat the rush? Seeing as you and Exapno are ready to throw in the towel… ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2138 "2026-08-12T10:30:45Z")
I absolutely do not understand your reaction to my statement. The key word in my post is the word **electable**. By that I mean electable under the current conditions in our country. Electable by the entire voter population in the face of the outrageous obstacles that Republicans have created to keep liberals, Democrats, people of color, and various kinds of groups they consider undesirable from voting at all. I call this being practical. I call it facing reality as it is right now. For us to change this reality, first we have to find a Presidential candidate who is **electable** by the whole country and get him elected. And take both houses of congress, or our president will be blocked at every turn. This is the state of our country right now. I don’t see how this practical point of view constitutes “throwing in the towel.” ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2139 "2026-08-12T11:16:28Z")
Obama would have crushed Trump; if he could run again he’d easily win against Vance or whoever. We don’t need a white man. We need a candidate with great communications skills. Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris both came close to winning. We just need a slight improvement from them to win. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2140 "2026-08-12T11:30:26Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > came close Sigh… ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2141 "2026-08-12T11:42:02Z")
So your solution is to disregard anyone but a white man, regardless of their talent and ability? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2142 "2026-08-12T13:21:32Z")
My solution is to find someone able and talented who will attract votes **by the greatest number of people,** beyond the people who read this board. I think Hillary Clinton could have been the greatest President in the history of the country. I’ve read that she was the single most qualified person ever to run for President. Brilliant, experienced at all levels of government, utterly fearless, capable of working across the aisle. She didn’t come across well addressing big groups, but she was said to be quite warm and engaging in person. However, she possessed the greatest disadvantage a Presidential candidate can have IMHO and IME: she was born without a penis. My God, the hatred and vitriol that swept through the Right over her candidacy was shocking! You all remember that, don’t you? Yeah, she came close, but THIS ISN’T HORSESHOES! I will never forget the way I felt when I woke up the next morning and learned that Donald Motherfucker Trump had been elected. It was exactly the way I felt when I woke up the day after my husband died–an impossibly huge weight of grief and sadness sat squarely on my chest. **And that was before we knew what trump was capable of!** How he was going to rape and abuse this country at every level! Before his crimes, atrocities, incompetencies, lies, and just plain _evil_ paraded themselves smugly and defiantly in front of our faces and up our noses every day. This board chronicles those crimes daily, constantly. The next Presidential election will not be a free and fair election. I think it will be a chaotic free-for-all and will precipitate lawsuits more numerous than the spots on the latest child infected with measles. The Republicans have made it clear. Trump is threatening to declare an emergency and take it over. Does anyone think he won’t try that? **The Democrats have to give themselves every possible advantage.** By offering a candidate who will appeal to (or at least not be objected to) by the greatest number of voters. Including independents who are bigoted, narrow-minded, backward, uneducated, “deplorables.” They. Vote. Too. Democrats have to win the Presidency and both houses of Congress. And then they have to **work together** (HA!) to get this train back on the tracks. Or we are well and truly fucked. Is my position clearer now than it was? Does that sound like I’m giving up? I’m a realist. I’m not naive. Politics is the art of the possible. Democrats have to aim at what is possible. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2143 "2026-08-12T13:25:31Z")
Wouldn’t a policy of “Only consider female/minority candidates IF they have the advantages in other areas to offset the disadvantage of racists/sexists in the electorate” work better than one of plainly rejecting female/minority candidates? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2144 "2026-08-12T13:28:15Z")
How many chances do we have left to test that theory? ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/2145 "2026-08-12T13:29:09Z")
So, once again, would you disregard any candidate, regardless of talent and ability, if they’re not a white man? Because I think your strategy is a losing one. Talent and ability are more important for winning an election than gender and race. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=106) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=108)