Arizona senator Ruben Gallego will be the latest Democrat to test out the 2028 waters in New Hampshire
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Since winning a fiercely contested Senate race last November—outperforming Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in a state she lost handily—Gallego has actively positioned himself as a figure to watch as Democrats' crop of 2028 presidential contenders gradually comes into focus.
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In May, Gallego traveled to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a key swing county in the most important swing state, for a town hall intended to put pressure on the area's Republican congressman over the party's 'Big Beautiful Bill' to cut taxes and social services.
Before heading to New Hampshire, Gallego will travel to Iowa, where the quadrennial caucus is historically the first overall contest of the presidential campaign cycle. On Aug. 8 and 9, he plans to stop at the Iowa State Fair—a rite of passage for presidential hopefuls—and hold a town hall in a Republican-held swing congressional district in eastern Iowa.
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The 45-year old Democrat has insisted that he's not thinking about a 2028 run right now. But he did admit 'of course' he's considered running for the White House someday.
As Democrats continue to litigate their 2024 defeat and grapple over how to craft a winning message again, Gallego has invoked his biography—working his way through Harvard, deploying to Iraq as a Marine during the height of the war—to explain what he believes he can add to the discussion.
'I'm the person that has worked those hard jobs and has had to figure out how to make ends meet, how to string a couple paychecks together, to pay rent and everything else like that,' he told NBC News in May, before heading to Pennsylvania. 'And I think people want to hear from Democrats like me.'
A growing group of Democrats are beginning to make moves towards the 2028 presidential campaign, with big fundraisers, high-profile speeches, and splashy visits to South Carolina and other early primary states.
After the party bypassed New Hampshire's long-recognized first-in-the-nation primary in 2024, potential hopefuls seem to be acting as if the state will reclaim its traditionally influential role in the process in 2028. (State presidential primary dates have not yet been finalized.)
Earlier in July, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota traveled to New Hampshire to campaign with Pappas, and in April, Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois headlined the state Democratic Party's biggest annual fundraising dinner.
Sam Brodey can be reached at
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