Potential 2028 Democrats Wrap Up Auditions at Sharpton’s Convention, Foreshadowing a Wide-Open Primary

Democrats who are likely to run for president in 2028 have wrapped up their auditions at the Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention, offering a first glimpse at the potential primary field. During the days-long gathering, senators, governors, and former executive branch officials sat for on-stage chats with the reverend to talk about policy and their own futures. Reverend Sharpton has been a heavyweight in Democratic politics for decades, often offering a platform to any potential candidate who wants to address his influential network of allies and supporters. Not one of the would-be candidates who spoke to him over the course of the last four days ruled out a run for the White House. When asked in front of the NAN convention attendees whether she will seek the presidency for a second time after being forced to run a truncated race in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris was the most up-front of all the possible candidates. “Listen: I might. I’m thinking about it,” she said on Thursday to raucous applause from the audience. “I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States. I spent countless hours in my West Wing office, footsteps away from the oath of office,” Ms. Harris added, pitching herself as the most experienced would-be contestant. “I spent countless hours in the Oval Office, in the Situation Room. I know what the job is. And I know what it requires.”Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, who twice won the governorship of his heavily Republican state, also made it perfectly clear that he is considering a presidential campaign.“I don’t try to be anybody I’m not. I will tell you, I walked off the stage in 2023 having won re-election by five points in Kentucky — which is like winning by 30 anywhere else — and I looked at my wife and I said, ‘Whoo, we’ll never have to run a campaign again,” Mr. Beshear said. “And I’m not sure that’s true today.”“I don’t have any announcement, but I will not leave a broken country to my kids or anyone else’s kids or grandkids,” he declared. Arizona’s two Democratic senators also attended, and neither has ruled out a run for the White House. “We’ll deal with that question post-2026,” Senator Ruben Gallego told Reverend Sharpton. Senator Mark Kelly — who has said for months that he and his wife are thinking about a campaign — won some extra praise from the reverend for spending more time at the conference than the other potential candidates. Reverend Sharpton focused on Mr. Kelly’s military record, and what he would do if he were president now during the war with Iran. President Trump “went into this without a strategic goal that was well-defined and then he keeps moving it around without a plan, without a timeline, without an exit strategy,” Mr. Kelly before a crowd that included black voters, civil rights activists, and party power brokers. “What Donald Trump taught the Iranians is that they now have a strategic asset that they can exploit for decades to our detriment,” he said of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “You’ve got to build these relationships back up with our allies — in the region and with NATO — and then you’ve gotta get the Iranians to the table and have a serious discussion. You can’t send the two real estate developers to negotiate a peace with another nation,” Mr. Kelly added, referring to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Like Mr. Gallego, Mr. Kelly said that he would decide whether or not to run for president after the midterms. Governor Josh Shapiro talked about his state’s economy and how he is investing in minority businesses and how he is working to expand economic opportunities for Pennsylvanians. He mentioned a fund to invest into those small businesses and his attempts to reform the state’s criminal justice system. As with the other candidates, Mr. Shapiro did not rule out a 2028 run. When asked by the reverend if he wanted to participate in a primary debate held by NAN, Mr. Shapiro joked that he wouldn’t want to show up in a room with New York Knicks fans, but added that he’d have a “conversation” about it with Reverend Sharpton in the future. Governors Wes Moore and JB Pritzker, as well as former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, also addressed the crowd during their fireside chats with Reverend Sharpton. The reverend asked Mr. Buttigieg if he could expect to dine with him in the future at Sylvia, a Harlem restaurant where Mr. Sharpton likes to take presidential candidates. “If you save me a seat, I’ll be there,” Mr. Buttigieg responded. Mr. Moore was also hit when asked whether or not he will be running in 2028. Despite often saying he will not be a candidate, Mr. Moore left the door open this time, saying he was focused on 2026.

Potential 2028 Democrats Wrap Up Auditions at Sharpton’s Convention, Foreshadowing a Wide-Open Primary

More from the New York Sun

Israel and Lebanon Coordinate Aid Convoy to Christian Villages in Combat Zone

Emerging Claim That Targeting Civilian Infrastructure Is a War Crime Proves a Bridge Too Far

Stanford Calls Bluff on Students Using Jain Faith To Dodge Meal Plan

More from the New York Sun

Israel and Lebanon Coordinate Aid Convoy to Christian Villages in Combat Zone

Emerging Claim That Targeting Civilian Infrastructure Is a War Crime Proves a Bridge Too Far

Stanford Calls Bluff on Students Using Jain Faith To Dodge Meal Plan

South Florida GOP Congresswoman’s Immigration Reform Bill Sparks Backlash From Colleagues, Conservative Commentariat

Middle-Class Americans Prove the Biggest Winners From Trump’s Tax Cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill

In a Funeral for Economic Liberty, the Casket Cartel Seeks To Bury the Competition

The Double Tragedy of the Jewish Bund

Borrowing a Page From El Salvador’s Bukele, Ecuadoran President Welcomes American Troops To Assist With His Drug Gang Crackdown