# 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:** 13
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/241 "2025-03-16T04:04:42Z")
This is really extremely premature but I’ll put in my two cents for what it’s worth. - Tim Walz - seems like he could be a good candidate with his “Dad” vibe but who knows how that will play to the country in a few years. - Pete Buttigieg - very intelligent and able to keep his cool while explaining complex ideas under pressure. Unfortunately he’s gay. He would get crushed as that’s the only thing most voters would hear about or focus on. And I say that as a gay man who loves Pete. - Gavin Newsom - very intelligent but arrogant Gov from the People’s Socialist Republic of California /s. Hard NOPE. - Gretchen Whitmer - very intelligent and successful Governor who is female. She would get crushed. Misogyny is still at least as strong as homophobia in this country. - JB Pritzker - I like JB, he is my Governor after all. But I don’t know how well he would do nationally. Intelligent and able to think on his feet. Very wealthy so that could help. Jewish so that could be a killer. - Rahm Emanuel - very intelligent but arrogant former Mayor, WH Chief of Staff, Ambassador and very abrasive guy. If I were in a street brawl I would want Rahm on my side. Not sure how that plays out in Presidential politics. Also Jewish and anti-Semitism is still a major thing in the US. - Jared Polis - from what little I know he seems like a good guy but I think he needs more name recognition. Honestly, I don’t think we can seriously consider this topic until we’ve gotten through the 2026 midterms. But hey, that’s just me. I think focusing on taking back the House and/or Senate are priorities. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/242 "2025-03-16T04:08:28Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > …whomever has the most name recognition. Grammar nitpick. _Whoever_. No need for the objective case there. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/243 "2025-03-16T10:57:54Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Gretchen Whitmer - very intelligent and successful Governor who is female. She would get crushed. Misogyny is still at least as strong as homophobia in this country. For some reason I feel the need to push back on this notion whenever it’s raised. Of course misogyny is a hurdle, but so are many other factors. I think the ‘right’ woman could win the presidency and we haven’t seen that candidate yet. It wasn’t Clinton (baggage and unlikability) or Harris (last minute campaign, no real connection to the voters.) I’m not sure if Whitmer is ‘the one’ but if she catches fire in the primaries, I’d be comfortable with her nomination. Clinton was a party choice and Harris was thrown into the maelstrom. What we haven’t seen yet is a female candidate capture the imagination like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama, make a strong case in the primaries and ride a wave of momentum to the White House. Yes, the right woman could pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/244 "2025-03-16T15:38:42Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Pete Buttigieg - very intelligent and able to keep his cool while explaining complex ideas under pressure. Unfortunately he’s gay. And a millennial. I feel like voters would hold this against him in a way they wouldn’t against (for instance) J.D. Vance. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/245 "2025-03-16T15:54:37Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > …the right woman could pull it off. The right woman **at the right time** could pull it off. I see no indication we are there yet as a nation. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/246 "2025-03-16T16:53:13Z")
Perhaps, and God knows where we’ll be in four years. Right now I’m more intrigued by Whitmer than I am by Walz, Buttigieg, Harris, Newsom, Pritzker, Emanuel or Polis. I’ll be interested to see more from Beshear, Kelly and Gallego, though. And I’m sure some other candidates too. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/247 "2025-03-16T17:26:51Z")
It’s possible, maybe even likely, that the first female president will be a Republican. Such a candidate could avoid the problem of being seen as too liberal or too soft to be president. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/248 "2025-03-16T19:06:59Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > - Pete Buttigieg - very intelligent and able to keep his cool while explaining complex ideas under pressure. Unfortunately he’s gay. He would get crushed as that’s the only thing most voters would hear about or focus on. And I say that as a gay man who loves Pete. > - Gavin Newsom - very intelligent but arrogant Gov from the People’s Socialist Republic of California /s. Hard NOPE. > - Gretchen Whitmer - very intelligent and successful Governor who is female. She would get crushed. Misogyny is still at least as strong as homophobia in this country. I agree with Pete. Not so much with Newsom- he has a high popularity rating. Whitmer- I disagree on her being a woman means a loss. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/249 "2025-03-16T21:15:36Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Not so much with Newsom- he has a high popularity rating. Amongst who? Californians? ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/250 "2025-03-16T22:15:25Z")
> **[Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social)](https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lkj2ihllev2l)** > > CNN: A new poll gives us a sense of who Democrats and Democratic leaning voters think best aligns with the party's core values. And that's Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Video in the tweet. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/251 "2025-03-16T22:40:55Z")
🤦🏻 Great. The poster child for unelectable. Hillary and Kamala rolled into one ---
**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:** [March 16, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/252 "2025-03-16T22:43:19Z")
AOC may have the communications talent of Obama or Bill Clinton. If so, her rise is inevitable. Politicians who are that talented become president, barring very unusual circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/253 "2025-03-16T22:48:43Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > The poster child for unelectable. Compared to such unbeatable establishment candidates such as Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry? I mean, look how terribly the Democrats did when they nominated a liberal outsider who hadn’t even been in Congress for a full term. What was his name? Barry O’Larry or something? ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/254 "2025-03-16T23:19:46Z")
I didn’t see her having much in common with Hilary or Kamala other than reproductive organs. I guess some people might think she has a similar skin tone to Kamala, but that’s not very accurate. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/255 "2025-03-16T23:47:31Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > It wasn’t Clinton (baggage and unlikability) or Harris (last minute campaign, no real connection to the voters.) Clinton was “unlikable” because she’s a woman; women in politics are either “overly emotional”, “cold bitches” or “shrill harpies”. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/256 "2025-03-17T00:06:20Z")
> [@Zoobi](#): > > I didn’t see her having much in common with Hilary or Kamala other than reproductive organs. SHE IS FEMALE. The reproductive organs are all that matters. Sheesh. 🤦🏼‍♂️ ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/257 "2025-03-17T00:08:46Z")
“A black man could never get elected president”… until one did. “A Catholic could never get elected president”… until one did. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/258 "2025-03-17T00:12:16Z")
But they had PENISES! A Catholic penis and a black penis. (Each. Not on the same guy. 'Cause _that_ guy probably couldn’t get elected.) And don’t forget a divorced person could never get elected. Until one did. And he had a penis. You know how the difference between _zero_ and _one_ is infinite? The difference between having male sexual organs and having female sexual organs is likewise infinite. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/259 "2025-03-17T00:14:07Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > “A black man could never get elected president”… until one did. > > “A Catholic could never get elected president”… until one did. Sure. _At some point_, we could well have a female president, a gay president, a transgender president, an atheist president, etc. But given the regressive movement of the country when it comes to equality, and efforts to marginalize women, LGBT, non-whites, non-Christians, etc. – efforts which a whole lot of people seem to be agreeing with – do you truly think that 2028 will be that time? ---
**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:** [March 17, 2025, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/260 "2025-03-17T00:16:09Z")
I don’t think it will happen in the next 25 years, considering how we’re backsliding. Which means I won’t live to see it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=14)