# 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:** 7
**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:** [January 22, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/121 "2025-01-22T21:41:35Z")
Cuban recommending Rand as late as July 2024?! Oh dear, that means he’s at least _partially_ a dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/122 "2025-01-23T00:38:22Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > What the Democrats need is someone who projects strength, who’s willing to call out Fox News and the other propagandists on their bullshit, and who, when the situation calls for it, can fight dirty and shit talk with the best of them. I’m not sure who in the Democratic Party right now with any real name recognition could fit that bill I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. Every time there’s a lay off, go meet the workers, and tell them flat out, “This is Trump’s fault!” Same for everyone who gets denied medical coverage, or loses their food stamps, or gets their union busted, and so on. Get out there and in their faces. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/123 "2025-01-23T00:47:26Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. Every time there’s a lay off, go meet the workers, and tell them flat out, “This is Trump’s fault!” Same for everyone who gets denied medical coverage, or loses their food stamps, or gets their union busted, and so on. If this were Trump’s first term, I see your point — but if a Democrat spends years as the go-to _“This is Trump’s fault!”_ voice, what happens if the GOP candidate in 2028 is a Governor who helpfully explains that he or she is, y’know, not Trump? ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/124 "2025-01-23T00:50:56Z")
The next GOP candidate will be Trump-approved, and so inherits Trump’s failures. Plus, every GOP politician will be openly supporting all of Trump’s policies, so they also inherit the failures. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/125 "2025-01-23T01:17:18Z")
And there’s gonna be a _lot_ of failures… ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/126 "2025-01-23T06:06:35Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@joebuck20](#): > > > > What the Democrats need is someone who projects strength, who’s willing to call out Fox News and the other propagandists on their bullshit, and who, when the situation calls for it, can fight dirty and shit talk with the best of them. I’m not sure who in the Democratic Party right now with any real name recognition could fit that bill > > I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. Every time there’s a lay off, go meet the workers, and tell them flat out, “This is Trump’s fault!” Same for everyone who gets denied medical coverage, or loses their food stamps, or gets their union busted, and so on. > > Get out there and in their faces. Also, the moment a J6er who was pardoned by Trump commits a heinous crime (and let’s face it, it’s really a matter of when, not if) the Democrats need to do their damnedest to make that person Trump’s Willie Horton. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/127 "2025-01-23T18:11:29Z")
The Dems have done well with popular southern governors and I think Beshear fits the bill quite well. I think they have to go with a middle-aged white male Protestant even if I wish this weren’t the case. Maybe with a coastal VP. Harris? Would she be interested? Probably not. Maria Cantwell? ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/128 "2025-01-23T19:38:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > > [@Horatius](#): > > > > I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. Every time there’s a lay off, go meet the workers, and tell them flat out, “This is Trump’s fault!” Same for everyone who gets denied medical coverage, or loses their food stamps, or gets their union busted, and so on. > > If this were Trump’s first term, I see your point — but if a Democrat spends years as the go-to _“This is Trump’s fault!”_ voice, what happens if the GOP candidate in 2028 is a Governor who helpfully explains that he or she is, y’know, not Trump? Simple - the response will be, “You’re still a Republican, aren’t you? Then you _are_ Trump, whether you like it or not.” Of course, this assumes that anyone who says, “I am not Trump,” doesn’t get primaried out in the first place. That’s a fundamental problem with the Republican Party; it pretty much changes its nominating convention rules to fit the flavor of the month, which I have a feeling is going to be “MAGA” for quite a few months. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/129 "2025-01-23T19:47:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. And today would be a great time to start this. > **[Trump’s Immigration Threats Are Already Wrecking the Food Industry](https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-immigration-plans-already-wrecking-204903324.html)** > > Immigrant farm workers are too scared to show up to work. Someone needs to get out there with a lot of cameras and make it clear that this is a **direct** result of Trump’s policies. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/130 "2025-01-23T20:24:03Z")
In a slightly lighter vein, I think this lawmaker has exactly the right approach to the new administration and their priorities. After all, isn’t defense of the unborn one of their primary concerns? Men should take their share of responsibility! Sen. Bradford Blackmon For President! > **[Mississippi politician files ‘Contraception Begins at Erection Act’](https://www.wlbt.com/2025/01/22/mississippi-politician-files-contraception-begins-erection-act/#jgwnrb0qngeyuc9ka5ckhihxrw4nrnm)** > > "People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can’t say that bothers me.” ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/131 "2025-01-23T20:31:47Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Simple - the response will be, “You’re still a Republican, aren’t you? Then you _are_ Trump, whether you like it or not.” So, this is what I think will occur in 2028 for whomever is running for the GOP. They will still be forced to mouth MAGA talking points. I think guys like Andy Breshears, Roy Cooper, or Josh Shapiro would have a field day ripping into that stuff in a debate, in ways that Biden never could. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/132 "2025-01-23T21:01:31Z")
Perhaps Oregon Governor Tina Kotek? ---
**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:** [January 23, 2025, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/133 "2025-01-23T21:32:31Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I think they have to go with a middle-aged white male Protestant even if I wish this weren’t the case. \*_Straight_ white male Protestant. Absolutely this. It’s all about elect-ability. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/134 "2025-01-23T21:47:24Z")
Yeah, straight. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/135 "2025-01-23T21:50:34Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I think Jon Stewart is the obvious choice. No more celebrities and no one without experience. > [@Aeschines](#): > > Cuban recommending Rand as late as July 2024?! Oh dear, that means he’s at least _partially_ a dumbass. _“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: [The Lord of the Rings](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10254806.The_Lord_of_the_Rings) and [Atlas Shrugged](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9365.Atlas_Shrugged). One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."_ John Rogers ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/136 "2025-01-23T21:52:45Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@Horatius](#): > > > > I think anyone who wants to run needs to spend the next few years being front and center every time one of Trump’s policies screws some of his base. > > And today would be a great time to start this. > > [Trump’s Immigration Threats Are Already Wrecking the Food Industry](https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-immigration-plans-already-wrecking-204903324.html) > > Someone needs to get out there with a lot of cameras and make it clear that this is a **direct** result of Trump’s policies. But wouldn’t the response be something like this: “If they’re in this country legally, then they have nothing to worry about, and if they’re not, then who the hell is hiring them?” ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/137 "2025-01-23T22:05:01Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > If we are going with a “no experience but trusted, takes no shit and will eat MAGA alive in debates” candidate, I think Jon Stewart is the obvious choice. Stewart would be great. He might bring some apathetic folks out to the voting box. He would also tell it like it is, or tell you what he thinks, regardless of who he pisses off. That’s something that will appeal to people. Now, I personally didn’t agree with him a few years ago when he came out in support of the Lab-Leak theory for Covid. But no one agrees with anyone 100% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/138 "2025-01-23T23:05:15Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > But wouldn’t the response be something like this: “If they’re in this country legally, then they have nothing to worry about, Find one legal immigrant, who is legitimately worried about being rounded up because the people doing the round-ups are racists, and put them on every front page in America. Hell, pretty soon, we’ll probably have a few who have _actually_ been rounded up improperly. I’m done playing nice. Push every anti-Trump narrative we can, and push it hard. Pull them heartstrings. Logic and evidence has failed us, time to try something different. ---
**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:** [January 23, 2025, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/139 "2025-01-23T23:22:34Z")
I agree Stewart would be great. I don’t care much about inexperience as I don’t think a large portion of the electorate cares about it at this point either. I want to win, not check resumes for time served in elected office. If a Democratic candidate can win over voters emotionally and win over the media narrative, or rather the new media narrative, that’s pretty much all that matters. Much of the problem with recent Democratic presidents hasn’t been with the meat of their accomplishments, it’s been a lack of selling the sizzle. Capturing the attention of the public is what the next nominee needs to do. A media personality (like Stewart or Cuban) might be the face the party needs to sell some sizzle to a malaise-filled public. Another possibility that I like but I know that I shouldn’t like because she’s not a white man: AOC. She can seriously sell the sizzle. I think she definitely would be an asset to a 2028 ticket, but maybe not at the top. ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/140 "2025-01-23T23:35:47Z")
I think it’s sadly telling that the only big idea so far is to keep Blacks, women and gays as far from power as possible. Not exacting compelling, but I guess that why Democrats are in the position they’re in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=8)