Keller: Democrats are already road testing presidential hopefuls for 2028
When Joe Biden walked away from his campaign one year ago, it opened the door for Kamala Harris, who's still out there raising money. But her loss to Donald Trump has, in turn, opened the gates to a stampede of potential 2028 hopefuls from across the spectrum.
Could a young, charismatic leftist - like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have a chance? After all, she might help generate more turnout among Latinos and young voters.
"It's a total jump ball which ideological faction of the party has the upper hand," says Bill Scher, politics editor for the Washington Monthly. "You certainly can't discount the possibility that somebody coming from the Democratic Socialst left could do what Bernie Sanders could not do."
What about a moderate who's won in a red state, like Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who told an audience in South Carolina (potentially the first Democratic primary state in 2028) recently, "You can be pro-jobs, pro-business and pro-worker all at the same time."
"He would come out with a pretty strong calling card: 'I've done it, I've won in a red state with this model,'" Scher said
And California Governor Gavin Newsom is already campaigning as a liberal Democrat who's willing to court conservatives.
Three different potential answers to the core question facing the Democrats, as Congressman Jim Himes (D-Connecticut) put it on "Face the Nation" last weekend, "What can we do better to appeal to more people, including those people that we have lost time and time again in elections?"
Is it too early to talk about the 2028 election? Absolutely, for normal people with lives that don't revolve around politics. After all, the outcome of next year's midterm elections could shakeup the balance of power in Washington and change the way voters view the choice in three years.
But presidential candidacies give the party a chance to road-test different messages while the Democrats in Washington, D.C., keep hammering away at the Republicans.
That's why it matters who's coming forward, what they're saying, and how it's being received.
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