After two election losses featuring a woman topping the ticket, Democrats are wary of nominating a third. But what about a woman who champions opportunities for boys and men?
Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer is wildly popular among Democrats for the progressive strides she has made in her state standing up to the extreme right and protecting abortion rights.
She would be the hands down favorite for 2028 if it weren’t for the gains made by the testosterone-fueled GOP. Recognizing their side has legitimate beefs, Whitmer pledged in her state of the state address to sign an executive order that will boost opportunities for men in higher education and the skills-based training that leads to good jobs.
What she’s doing has merit on its own with data showing more young men forgoing college and falling behind. This is no country for young men with a widening economic gap. Standing up for them opens a unique lane for Whitmer to confront a political barrier and position herself for what will likely be a crowded field on the Democratic side.
It’s not too soon to be talking about 2028, if only to keep hope alive.
First out of the gate to claim pole position is Illinois Governor JB Pritzker with his vow “to stand in the way” of any deportations in his state that affect law-abiding citizens even if they are in the country illegally.
With California Governor Newsom sidelined for now by what he calls his “hierarchy of needs,” meaning his reliance on federal assistance, Pritzker has emerged as the fearless leader of the resistance and a favorite of Obama-era Democrats. Asked who he favored for 2028, a former Obama White House aide responded with four cheers for Pritzker: most vocal critic of Donald Trump for some time, successful progressive governor, has thick skin, Convention was seen as a success.
It also helps that he has money. Like Elon Musk and the tech billionaires who have adopted Trumpism, Pritzker is a billionaire. It takes one to know one. Who better to make the case that what Musk and his cronies are doing is to drain the federal budget to insure more tax breaks for the wealthy? The Pritzker family has been among the top 10 wealthiest families as ranked by Forbes since the list was first compiled in 1982. Even better for Democrats, Pritzker is willing to put his money where his political ambitions take him.
Democrats desperately need a voice to lead them out of the wilderness, and governors are the best positioned to speak up, show real results and break through the cynicism around government that Trump and his allies have exploited. “Governors can actually do stuff. It’s not just— message, I care—they have real power,” says Jonah Blank, a former Senate Democratic aide.
Trump won the White House twice on the now widely accepted premise that the government and its institutions don’t work, says Blank. “Are the Democrats going to be using the next four years to do the kind of serious reformulation of the party they need to be relevant for the future? Why is it that what Trump is selling is so attractive?”
Several Democratic governors will be vying among themselves to demonstrate they have what it takes. Who will be the next Bill Clinton who attracts notice for real 21st century improvements in his or her state with communications skills to match?
Maryland’s Wes Moore has a solid approval rating, but he has to navigate budget challenges worsened by Trump and Musk taking a chainsaw to 160,000 federal workers living in the state. And that doesn’t even include government contractors.
A lot of Dems think Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro should have gotten the nod to be Kamala Harris’ running mate last year. Turns out that was fortuitous. He’s up for reelection in 2026 so the timing is right for him to use his governorship in a swing state as a springboard to the presidency.
Other gubernatorial possibilities are Andy Beshear, whose conciliatory manner backed by strong policy positions won him reelection in the red state of Kentucky. North Carolina’s Josh Stein is another one to watch. Newly elected last year, he has to navigate a Republican-controlled legislature emboldened by Trump’s victory.
Comedian Bill Maher offers this Dem ticket: the anti-woke Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman and Pete Buttigieg, who appears to have taken down his pronouns after leaving the Biden administration where he served ably as Transportation Secretary. The ticket reflects Maher’s particular animus to excessive wokeness.
Fetterman hasn’t shown any interest in the presidency, and Buttigieg is more likely to run for the Senate now that a seat will be available when Democrat Gary Peters retires in Democrat-friendly Michigan next year.
Democrats are still figuring out what to do—wait for Trump to crash the economy and pick up the pieces? Or be proactive and reclaim the party as a vehicle to make people’s lives better?
These goals are not mutually exclusive, and Sherrod Brown, the former longtime senator from Ohio, embodies them in his piece in the New Republic, where he declares: “Democrats must become the workers’ party again. It is an electoral and a moral imperative, and it will be my mission for the rest of my life. To win the White House and governing majorities again, Democrats must reckon with how far our party has strayed from our New Deal roots, in terms of both our philosophy toward the economy, and the makeup of our coalition.”
President Joe Biden was faulted for being too FDR when the voters wanted normal. Trump is risking massive overreach with tariffs. It’s never wrong to go back to the basics. Voters like it when you’re seen as fighting for them. It’s not enough to simply be less bad than Trump. Democrats need a positive agenda. And while most Democrats appreciate what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz did to salvage the party in 2024, there’s no groundswell for either to return to presidential politics.
