# 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:** 75
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1481 "2026-02-18T00:45:35Z")
Its a clip of him congratulating Obama on winning the election. > **[Cory Booker (@corybooker) on Threads](https://www.threads.com/@corybooker/post/DU06C1QCBjM)** > > Here is to the decency of past presidents and the urgent need for us to have this again. I’ll grant that Trump would never ever do such a thing, but it doesn’t make up for the times he decoared that God told him to invade Iraq or that we needed a constitutional ban on gay marriage or declared “mission accomplished” three weeks into a 10-year war or called the war in Afghanistan a “crusade” or praised Vladimir Putin or declared that you’re either with us or against us. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1482 "2026-02-18T00:48:57Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > but it doesn’t make up for the times he decoared that God told him to invade Iraq or that we needed a constitutional ban on gay marriage or declared “mission accomplished” three weeks into a 10-year war or called the war in Afghanistan a “crusade” or praised Vladimir Putin or declared that you’re either with us or against us. I must have missed the part of Booker’s post where he said it does. > [@Smapti](#): > > I’ll grant that Trump would never ever do such a thing, That’s pretty much all that Booker is saying. Thanks for the link. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1483 "2026-02-18T01:09:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > A wealth tax would be absolutely disastrous, especially if it’s passed only in one state Massachusetts waves hello 👋 ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1484 "2026-02-18T01:13:59Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Massachusetts waves hello 👋Hi Massachusetts! How are you? Enjoying not having a wealth tax? (You might be thinking about Massachusetts’ _Millionaire Tax_ which is a 4% _income tax_ on income above a million. This is not a wealth tax, it’s an income tax; much like California’s income tax). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1485 "2026-02-18T01:25:43Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > Democrats voted for Haris in the 2024 general election even though they had universally rejected her in the 2020 primary and she was a remarkably bad candidate by any standard besides the rather low bar of “being better than Donald Trump.” First of all, she withdrew before the Primary, on Dec 3 2019, so no, she wasnt > [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > universally rejected her in the 2020 primary That didnt happen. In other words, she never actually ran- she withdrew along with 17 other candidates, several of whom have been touted as possible 2028. Second of all she did fairly well. Overall, she got more Indy votes than trump- but not in a few crucial battleground states > **[Data shows how independent voters swung the election by splitting their votes](https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2025-01-23/data-shows-how-independent-voters-swung-the-election-by-splitting-their-votes)** > > President Donald Trump won the White House in large part by winning the handful of swing states nationwide. One of the reasons that happened was how independent voters cast their ballots. Now Pete Buttigieg, touted here by many, he actually ran, and was "universally rejected. " > [@Aspenglow](#): > > That’s why I am more supportive of Kelly. He’s got a great story, he’s tough and as I previously said, he has crossover appeal. Yes, but he has no name recognition. As of last Sunday, he was getting about 3% in polls. If you arent doint well in the (very early polls) few will line up to say why they dont like that candidate. Mind you, Kelly looks Okay to me. > [@iiandyiiii](#): > > “Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax…” Wealth taxes are stupid and they arent used anywhere outside of a few Euro nations, and even there they have many exemptions, such as personal residence. They cause Capital Flight and debates over valuation, etc Newsom instead suggests raising the CA income tax on the wealthy- which has worked and will work. > [@Babale](#): > > A wealth tax would be absolutely disastrous, especially if it’s passed only in one state. Gavin is absolutely right to oppose this measure. Right. > [@Babale](#): > > (You might be thinking about Massachusetts’ _Millionaire Tax_ which is a 4% _income tax_ on income above a million. This is not a wealth tax, it’s an income tax; much like California’s income tax). Correct- exactly what CA now has and Newsom wants more of. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1486 "2026-02-18T01:40:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, but he has no name recognition. As of last Sunday, he was getting about 3% in polls. I wonder what Obama’s name recognition was before he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention? I don’t think name recognition happens this early, frankly. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1487 "2026-02-18T01:41:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Wealth taxes are stupid and they arent used anywhere outside of a few Euro nations, and even there they have many exemptions, such as personal residence. Austria, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Sweden, and France all had and then abolished a wealth tax. I think it’s a huge plus in his column that Newsom doesn’t support such populist nonsense. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1488 "2026-02-18T01:44:52Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I wonder what Obama’s name recognition was before he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention? First I heard of him was earlier that year, when his Senate opponent Jack Ryan was having a cameraman follow him around trying to catch him in a gaffe. Then Ryan dropped out of the race after it turned out he was sexually abusing Seven of Nine and the GOP drafted Alan Keyes to run against him instead. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1489 "2026-02-18T01:47:11Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I wonder what Obama’s name recognition was before he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention? I don’t think name recognition happens this early, frankly. Not much, but it went way up after that convention, so he was on the radar 4 years before the primaries. This is 2+ years before the primaries. No doubt, someone currently polling low could be the winner. But my point is- you dont become a target for attacks before you are polling pretty well. Kelly looks fine, but we see attacks on Newsom and Harris as they are in the top of the polls. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1490 "2026-02-18T01:48:22Z")
It’s just too early, IMHO. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1491 "2026-02-18T01:49:25Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Wealth taxes are stupid and they arent used anywhere outside of a few Euro nations, and even there they have many exemptions, such as personal residence. They cause Capital Flight and debates over valuation, etc Wealth causes capital flight. Money that goes to the ultra-rich is drained out of the economy. That’s true no matter what tax jurisdiction the ultra-rich happen to be in. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1492 "2026-02-18T01:52:20Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > It’s just too early, IMHO. It is too early to say who is the likely winner, certainly, I totally agree. But it is not too early to show who is getting the most flak- the current poll leaders. Harris and Newsom are getting flak for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1493 "2026-02-18T01:54:58Z")
That’s your conclusion, but it’s not dispositive. Like my late husband used to say, it’s never good to be the tall poppy. It always invites getting cut down to size. I think Newsom will peak too early, and he’s going to get beaten on a lot before November 2028. I’ll vote for him if he’s the nominee, of course. But I don’t think he will be. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1494 "2026-02-18T02:02:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wealth causes capital flight. Money that goes to the ultra-rich is drained out of the economy. That’s true no matter what tax jurisdiction the ultra-rich happen to be in. That might be true of money hoarded as cash in a safe, but that’s not what billionaires do with money. Amazon growing by $10,000,000 and thus Bezos’ wealth growing by about 9% of that does not inherently drain money out of the economy. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1495 "2026-02-18T02:09:48Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I think Newsom will peak too early, and he’s going to get beaten on a lot before November 2028. > > I’ll vote for him if he’s the nominee, of course. But I don’t think he will be. I live in a state that hasn’t voted for a Republican since Reagan, so my vote in the general election is statistically meaningless. Meaning that, if Newsom winds up being the nominee, I could seriously consider casting a protest vote for Taylor Swift in confidence that it won’t affect the outcome, much like my mom did in 1980 when the election was called for Reagan while polls were still open on the west coast and she voted for Mickey Mouse. But that’s still two and a half years from now. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1496 "2026-02-18T02:19:12Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > First of all, she withdrew before the Primary, on Dec 3 2019, so no, she wasnt She withdrew after falling from 3 to 0 percent poll support _among Democratic primary voters_. That is universal rejection. Taking someone who had no support _among Democratic primary voters_, adding the additional known factor that, after that happened, she ran a disastrous general election campaign that got blown out of the water by a semi-senile Donald Trump warbling Nazi slogans, and nominating her again would be so irresponsible that I would seriously consider whether major organs of the Democratic Party are actually GOP moles in trying to explain how it could possibly happen. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1497 "2026-02-18T03:00:51Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Ditto for Whitmer. Note that the US elected the most evil person it has ever produced twice, each time against a female candidate. Let’s get someone sane elected for a couple cycles, take the House, take the Senate, make some judicial appointments so we no longer have the Supreme Court Republicans Of The United Maga States- then we’ll see if the country is ready to elect a female. And I think that being a Democrat from California or. NYC is a big problem while being female is not. It’s hard to prove one way or the other due to the tiny sample size, but Whitmer won purple Michigan by about ten points twice. Female leaders are common worldwide. [Even North Korea is even going that way.](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/kim-jong-uns-daughter-may-face-her-ambitious-ruthless-aunt-in-succession-battle-for-north-korea/articleshow/128423161.cms#) The U.S. cannot be such an outlier. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1498 "2026-02-18T03:09:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > 👋Hi Massachusetts! How are you? Enjoying not having a wealth tax? > > (You might be thinking about Massachusetts’ _Millionaire Tax_ which is a 4% _income tax_ on income above a million. This is not a wealth tax, it’s an income tax; much like California’s income tax Indeed I was referring to that very things, which was called many things during the campaign for and against it, including a “wealth tax.” It was also supposed to be “disastrous” for MA and lead to all the millionaires leaving the state, which had not happened. Meanwhile, it has raised notable accounts of tax revenue. I’m not familiar with the details is the CA tax in question, so I cannot say if it is a good thing or not. But the scaremongering certainly sounds familiar. ---
**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:** [February 18, 2026, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1499 "2026-02-18T03:18:45Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > It was also supposed to be “disastrous” for MA and lead to all the millionaires leaving the state, which had not happened. I’m not really sure how that’s supposed to be a downside, either. Oh no! We’ll miss out on all the tax revenue they weren’t giving us in the first place! ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036/1500 "2026-02-18T12:13:29Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > You need to persuade independent persuadable voters - the people who actually did vote Obama-Trump-Biden-Trump in the last four elections. They will determine what happens in swing states, and I suspect you know pretty well what they care about even if you don’t like it. Were you referring to “possessing a penis”? Serious question. Did you have in mind how Trump beat the only two female major-party candidates in history, or to something else? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontrunners-for-democratic-presidential-nomination-in-2028/1013036.md?page=76)