After Midterms Triumph, Democrats Look Quickly and Eagerly Ahead to 2028

Even as Democrats across the country continue to revel in their sweeping midterm election victories, politicians, donors and campaign strategists have quickly begun looking ahead to what is widely expected to be a crowded and contentious 2028 presidential campaign.

Would-be Democratic presidential candidates have spread across the globe over the past week, headlining events aimed at lifting their national profiles, appearing with foreign leaders, schmoozing donors and scouting for political talent at happy hours with ambitious campaign operatives.

In Denver, at least eight potential candidates gathered for a three-day conference aptly titled “What’s Next.” Along the California coast, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona led journalists and social media influencers on a tour of the aircraft carrier he served on as a U.S. Navy pilot. And Gov. Gavin Newsom of California appeared at a United Nations climate summit in Turkey, where he told Turkish news media that he planned to decide in late January if he would run for president in 2028 — the most specific timeline he has offered yet.

While no one has formally entered the presidential race, the passing of the midterm elections has given Democrats license to include themselves in increasingly public discussions about who is going to run and what they would bring to a contest that could include more than two dozen candidates.

“We have got to have an ideological conversation within our family, within our party,” Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said in an interview. “Whatever comes in the future, I’m going to be a part of that.”

The conference in Denver, a lavish gathering in the city’s River North Art District, amounted to an opening salvo from centrists to influence the direction of their party, as Democrats continued to chart their path out of the political wilderness and, they hoped, into the White House. The event was part candidate cattle call and part speed dating for potential campaign staff.