Prominent Dem Leaders Begin Growing Their National Profiles As 2028 White House Bid Rumors Ramp Up

Several prominent Democrats are growing their national profiles and speaking at public-facing events this year amid mounting speculation that they are gearing up for potential 2028 presidential runs.

Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, who is considered to be a rising star in the Democratic Party, is set to speak at a May 10 town hall event in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, to discuss “the struggles of working-class Americans,” Politico first reported on Monday. The move comes amid recent reports that some Democratic insiders view Gallego as a potential top contender in the 2028 presidential race.

Gallego, who previously represented a Phoenix-area House seat from 2015 to 2025, was elected to the Senate in November 2024, winning 50.1% of the vote to Republican opponent Kari Lake’s 47.7%.

Gallego’s office did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Similarly, Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore is set to give a speech in South Carolina at the Blue Palmetto Dinner on May 30, an annual fundraising event hosted by the state’s Democratic Party. Despite growing speculation that Moore could potentially run for president in 2028, he has asserted that he does not intend to run.

“I am clear — I’m not running,” Moore told Politico in an interview published on May 2. “But what I am doing is running to make sure that Maryland really is going to have the most explosive decade that it’s had at any time in recent history.”

Moore’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is reportedly weighing a presidential bid, is hosting a town hall with VoteVets Action Fund in Iowa on May 13, marking his first public in-person event since Trump assumed office in January, CNN first reported. In March, Buttigieg announced that he would not run for Michigan’s Senate seat in 2026, adding to speculation that he is gearing up to launch a presidential bid in the next election cycle.

Buttigieg could not be reached for comment.

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gave an April 27 speech in New Hampshire, another early primary state, where he critiqued “do-nothing Democrats,” and encouraged members of his party to engage in “mass protests” against Republicans.

While Pritzker could seek reelection in 2026 to serve a third term as governor, he has notably been growing his national profile in recent months amid rumors that he may launch a 2028 presidential bid. The two-term governor, who is a billionaire, has previously donated hefty sums of money to a variety of Democratic causes.

Pritzker’s office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has been floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, though she is also reportedly also considering running for governor of California in 2026. Harris on April 30 gave her first major speech since Trump defeated her in the 2024 presidential election.

Some Senate Democrats have expressed skepticism about Harris making a second White House bid, The Hill reported on Sunday. One anonymous Democratic senator simply responded “no” when asked by The Hill about whether Harris should make another presidential bid.

Harris’ office did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

While Democrats are aiming to retake Congress in the 2026 midterm elections and regain control of the White House in 2028, they have notably been facing record-low approval ratings and are struggling to rebuild following several key losses during the 2024 election cycle.

NBC News political analyst John Heilemann notably said in November 2024 on his podcast that the Democratic Party’s “big fucking problem” for the 2028 election cycle is that the Republican Party is now viewed as the party of the working class.