# 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:** 38
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/741 "2025-08-01T17:33:28Z")
I’m a single working man with no children in my early 40s. I don’t expect to get a lot of pandering but the Democrats could at least pass things that would help me as well as others. Finally fix health care and health insurance. Reduce the massive inequality in income. Actually build infrastructure and fix things again. General populist stuff. And by all means, make the country better for everyone by passing specific things I don’t need, like help for families. Instead what I tend to get is nothing combined with an opinion from parts of the left that as a single childless straight white man I might as well be garbage if I’m not some sort of inherent threat to at least half the population by just existing. I voted for Harris, not that it matters really where I live, because I didn’t want to see exactly all the shit Trump is doing now. But please, whoever is running in 2028, give me some sort of bone to actually be able to vote for and not some weird combination of why I should vote for out of pure altruism and why the other guy is worse. I haven’t cast a vote for president for a politician I actually wanted to see in office since Obama. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/742 "2025-08-01T18:08:59Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Invasion of Greenland may bring a quick U.S. victory. (deep breath) This is an impossibility. It just is. No cite. Let’s check back in a few years. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/743 "2025-08-01T18:33:11Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > You don’t blame a campaign for thinking that maintaining all policies of a very unpopular president would win? I blame the voters. Completely ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/744 "2025-08-01T18:41:20Z")
Blame the voters all you want. The actual failure was on the politician. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/745 "2025-08-01T18:51:34Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I blame the voters. Completely Thank you for offering this thoughtful and perceptive analysis. Your invitation to join the Democratic National Committee is in the mail. ---
**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:** [August 1, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/746 "2025-08-01T19:44:04Z")
After January 6th and all the other acts of corruption, how can you not blame the voters? Blaming the voters isn’t going to work as an election strategy, but whoever gets the nom has to pander to these people. We currently have terrible leadership because this country is chock full of terrible people. Are there enough decent people in the U.S. to swing an election? Sure, but you need a rock star to get them to the polls. Harris was competent, but unexciting. Right now, the Democrats best chance to retake the White House is if the country is in the toilet. Our reality is thoroughly unappetizing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/747 "2025-08-01T20:35:42Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > A lot people struggled under Biden and she failed to express that she would do anything differently and spent a decent amount of time trying to argue was actually pretty good, Because Biden wasnt doing anything wrong. The inflation started with trump, due to covid, and year by year Biden decreased it. > [@Procrustus](#): > > I can’t think of anything I would have wanted her to do differently than Biden. Right. And Harris did do a debate with trump. > [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > And it failed, because it took their tradition demographics for granted. It failed beacue trump lied about inflation, immigration etc and people believed him. He is a right wing populist, catering to the not well education and not well informed. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/748 "2025-08-01T21:14:38Z")
Well, tough shit. You’re stuck with ‘em. ---
**Author:** ![Hawkeyeop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/958977/32.png) [@Hawkeyeop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hawkeyeop)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/749 "2025-08-01T21:19:26Z")
If you don’t understand why Biden was unpopular and are unwilling to learn then it is really hard to do better it in 2028. Sure there is things out of his control and sure there is misinformation lack of understanding, but there were also a lot of legitimate criticisms. Dems do not need a superstar candidate, but they need to be open to feedback and not blame all complaints on the right wing. Find any forum with people under 40 and ask them what they think of Biden. Biden was good for maintaining the status quo and improving things at the margins. Which is great if the status quo is good for you, but not so much if the system is leaving you behind. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/750 "2025-08-01T22:02:21Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > Actually build infrastructure and fix things again. The Biden Administration passed the largest infrastructure bill in many decades 🤷‍♂️ ---
**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:** [August 1, 2025, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/751 "2025-08-01T22:10:22Z")
I recently heard Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speak at my local county Dems’ annual banquet. He gave a great speech, talking about how Democrats can win elections and govern well, even in red states like his. He sounded like he just might have an eye on the White House in 2028 (and Southern governors have done pretty well for Dems and the nation there over the years). I had the chance to meet and briefly speak with him after his speech, and he comes across as a smart and friendly guy. My cousin Laura, who’s long lived in Kentucky, thinks the world of him. For more: [Andy Beshear - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Beshear) ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/752 "2025-08-01T22:24:07Z")
Great post. 100% agree. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/753 "2025-08-01T22:47:36Z")
A lot of time has passed since this thread was started, and I think the biggest ding against Harris at this juncture is that she has not stepped up as a leader against Trump since her loss and in fact has been a complete non-presence in the Democratic world (which, frankly, most Democrats have been). Sure, there was a time for her to be quiet, since no one wants a loser to be squawking immediately, and she had to wait for Trump to do something worth complaining about (which took about two minutes)–but still. A clever politician would have found a way to be a relevant leader by now. Newsom and Pritzker have done _some_ things, though I wouldn’t call them brilliant or anything like that. Newsom has also done some things to diminish his leadership, such as hobnobbing with Charlie Kirk. I know it’s hard to imagine a world with Trump out of the picture or at least not running for president, but that will be the reality in 2028. Nevertheless, I see most posters here making points as if we’ll be facing Trump or a Trump equivalent again. We won’t, and we need to think and imagine accordingly. To me, the only plausible way in which the Republicans are not facing a total train wreck in 2028 is if JD Vance becomes president sooner rather than later and does an exemplary job of uniting Americans and running the economy and the country. I think that that is highly unlikely. Considering all that, the Democratic nominee in 2028 could be virtually anyone. There is no clear superstar right now. It would be nice, however, if that person would show some leadership before primary season commences a few years from now. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/754 "2025-08-01T23:26:34Z")
> [@Hawkeyeop](#): > > If you don’t understand why Biden was unpopular and are unwilling to learn then it is really hard to do better it in 2028. Sure there is things out of his control and sure there is misinformation lack of understanding, but there were also a lot of legitimate criticisms. There was deep hatred by the MAGAs, and yes, issues with inflation, that he inherited. There were no significant legit criticisms of the job he did as president. He will be remembered well in history. > [@Aeschines](#): > > in fact has been a complete non-presence in the Democratic world Not true, I often get emails and posts from her (her campaign) . But yes, she should have been leading the charges against trump- which is hard to do if you have no office to do it from. > [@Aeschines](#): > > Newsom and Pritzker have done _some_ things, though I wouldn’t call them brilliant or anything like that. Newsom has also done some things to diminish his leadership, such as hobnobbing with Charlie Kirk. They are both governors with “bully pulpits", and giving an interview to a media personality is not “hobnobbing”. > [@Aeschines](#): > > I see most posters here making points as if we’ll be facing Trump or a Trump equivalent again. We won’t, and we need to think and imagine accordingly. To me, the only plausible way in which the Republicans are not facing a total train wreck in 2028 is if JD Vance becomes president sooner rather than later and does an exemplary job of uniting Americans and running the economy and the country. I think that that is highly unlikely. We agree here. there will be no third term for trump, and there is a decent chance he wont even be alive by then. Vance has two advantages- he is comparatively sane, and hasnt been a con-man all his life. But to expect miracles from him is too much. Note that every single possible Dem 2028 candidate has been trash-talked here in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2025, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/755 "2025-08-01T23:39:52Z")
I also blame the non-voters. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/756 "2025-08-02T00:08:39Z")
Re last post: [if everyone who could vote did, Trump would have won by an even wider margin, 48%-45%, according to Pew’s validated voters survey . . . of almost 9,000 voters](https://www.npr.org/2025/06/26/nx-s1-5447450/trump-2024-election-non-voters-coalition) But I guess you are just blaming the pro-Harris non-voters ---
**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:** [August 2, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/757 "2025-08-02T01:13:57Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > A lot of time has passed since this thread was started, and I think the biggest ding against Harris at this juncture is that she has not stepped up as a leader against Trump since her loss and in fact has been a complete non-presence in the Democratic world (which, frankly, most Democrats have been). Sure, there was a time for her to be quiet, since no one wants a loser to be squawking immediately, and she had to wait for Trump to do something worth complaining about (which took about two minutes)–but still. A clever politician would have found a way to be a relevant leader by now. She was on Stephen Colbert’s show a night or two ago, talking about the book that she has just published, about the campaign. She came across, to me, as being pretty disillusioned about the state of politics in the nation (as are a lot of us), and the fact that being a good person, who wanted to do good things for her country, and to be a president who fought for all Americans, wasn’t nearly enough to counter the toxicity and lies coming from the other camp. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/758 "2025-08-02T01:25:54Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > The Biden Administration passed the largest infrastructure bill in many decades 🤷‍♂️ Sure, and much like most other acts, it wasn’t doing anything in nearly soon enough time to be able to run on the results. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2025, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/759 "2025-08-02T01:54:31Z")
And much of what happened during the Biden admin has been repealed retroactively making him a worse president than a lot of folks already think he was. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2025, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/760 "2025-08-02T02:00:56Z")
And anything good that does come about courtesy of Biden’s efforts will be credited to Trump, who is utterly shameless when it comes to stealing such credit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=37) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=39)