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Obama's 2012 campaign chief says over two dozen Democratic campaigns weigh 2028 runs

Rep. Jim Clyburn says four people weighing runs have called him, and the Democratic National Committee picked South Carolina to vote first.

20 news outlets reported this
Liberal9 outletsRepublicans' post-Trump reckoning and New Hampshire's primary fightCenter6 outletsDemocrats' wide 2028 field after economy-focused midterm winsConservative5 outletsClyburn as kingmaker courted by 2028 Democrats
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

Democrats are already positioning for the 2028 presidential race after their wins. Jim Messina, who led Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, told the BBC's Americast podcast he has spoken to "over two dozen campaigns" weighing runs that have begun raising money and hiring staff. He expects exploratory committees within weeks, probably after Thanksgiving, and says the field could shrink under fundraising pressure.

Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina told Politico that four people weighing bids have called him, among them Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. He also said he has chatted with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. According to the Boston Globe, the has chosen South Carolina to vote first in 2028, while the Republican National Committee has affirmed New Hampshire's first slot.

The Globe says New Hampshire's primary is expected in January 2028, state law requires it at least a week before similar contests, and the DNC has threatened on anyone defying its calendar. A University of New Hampshire survey as of July, the Globe reports, put Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the two early favorites in New Hampshire's .

Key figures
  • over two dozen campaignsweighing 2028 runs, by Jim Messina's accountBBC News
  • four individualsweighing bids who called Rep. Jim Clyburn, per PoliticoWashington Examiner
  • January 2028expected date of New Hampshire's presidential primaryThe Boston Globe

Three sides of the story

9Liberal6Center5Conservative

20 news outlets reported this

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Liberal9 outlets

Republicans' post-Trump reckoning and New Hampshire's primary fight

The Boston Globe's Manchester dispatch looks at New Hampshire as the 2028 campaign begins, with Republicans coming off what it calls a "resounding defeat." It quotes University of New Hampshire professor Dante Scala predicting "a struggle for the direction of the Republican Party." The piece follows John E. Sununu, the Trump-endorsed nominee who lost to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas after running an October ad saying he had "never even met the man."

Scala sees the Sununu brothers and Americans for Prosperity as possible backers of an alternative to a Trump-endorsed candidate. Former Gov. Chris Sununu says Republicans did not keep their 2024 promises and that canvassers knocked on half a million doors, getting what he could argue was "virtually zero results." On the Democratic side, the Globe describes an impasse: the DNC picked South Carolina first, state law requires New Hampshire to go at least a week ahead of others, and the party has threatened sanctions.

State party chair Raymond Buckley says "The ballots aren't even cold yet."

Center6 outlets

Democrats' wide 2028 field after economy-focused midterm wins

BBC News leads with Jim Messina, who ran Obama's 2012 campaign, saying more than two dozen Democratic campaigns are eyeing 2028 and could announce exploratory committees after Thanksgiving. Messina, speaking on the BBC's Americast podcast, credits the midterm result to Democrats staying on the economy and he calls "devastating to rural voters." He says Democrats "didn't take the bait on the social wars" and that "the MVP of the election for the Democrats was Donald Trump."

He adds that the hard part will be uniting progressive and centrist wings in . The Journal's news pieces look at the same ground. One says the "dominating" midterm performance gave Democrats a deep bench of talent but "could make 2028 messy."

Another says gains in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa, in a wave that gave the party Congress and a majority of governor's offices, open new pathways to the presidency.

Conservative5 outlets

Clyburn as kingmaker courted by 2028 Democrats

The Washington Examiner makes Rep. Jim Clyburn the story, calling him "the man of the hour" for Democrats eyeing 2028. It relays what he told Politico: four people weighing bids have called him, Gov. Josh Shapiro among them, and he has also chatted with Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Mark Kelly. The paper notes he campaigned with Gov. Wes Moore and that South Carolina is set to vote first.

It stresses his sway among Black voters and says his endorsement helped revive Joe Biden's campaign in 2020. Clyburn expects a crowded field and names Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Ro Khanna. He says governors and senators must "demonstrate the ability to manage" and warns against getting carried away with "sound bites."

The Examiner points out that he did not mention Pete Buttigieg among the field, and that Clyburn called it unclear "how much better" Buttigieg would do in South Carolina in 2028.

All sources: 31 articles from 20 outlets

Liberal (16)

Center (8)

Conservative (7)

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  3. Democrats win control of House and Senate, and 2028 White House jockeying begins
  4. Democrats win control of House and Senate in midterm elections
  5. Obama's 2012 campaign chief says over two dozen Democratic campaigns weigh 2028 runsThis story
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