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2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Selection of the Democratic Party nominee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Presidential primaries and caucuses are going to be organized by the Democratic Party to select delegates to the 2028 Democratic National Convention to determine the party's nominee for president in the 2028 election. The primaries and caucuses will take place in all 50 U.S. states, in the District of Columbia, in five U.S. territories, and through Democrats Abroad.

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2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries
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Previous Democratic nominee

Kamala Harris


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Candidates

Expressed interest

Individuals who have expressed an interest in running for the Democratic presidential nomination[a]

Andy Beshear

Andy Beshear has served as the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. He was also considered a potential running mate for Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.[1] Beshear stated in a May 2026 interview with Ali Vitali of MS NOW that he would not make a decision on entering the presidential race until his tenure as the head of the Democratic Governors Association concludes.[2] Beshear's frequent travel in 2026 has fueled speculation that he may be laying groundwork for a presidential campaign.[3][4]

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 2021 to 2025. Prior to becoming Secretary of Transportation, he served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, from 2012 to 2020. Buttigieg was thrust into the national spotlight with his 2020 presidential campaign, where he narrowly won the Iowa caucus and finished a close second in the New Hampshire primary, but ultimately dropped out after a poor performance in South Carolina.[5] Buttigieg was also a contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate after she secured the Democratic nomination for president. If nominated, Buttigieg would be the first openly LGBT individual to receive the nomination of a major party in the United States.[6]

Buttigieg hinted at a 2028 presidential run when speaking with Al Sharpton in April.[7] Buttigieg was shown to be leading polls for the Democratic primary later in May.[8]

On August 3, 2026, Buttigieg indicated in a podcast interview with Steven Bartlett that he was "more inclined than not" to launch another presidential bid.[9]

Rahm Emanuel

Rahm Emanuel most recently served as United States ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025. He represented Illinois in the United States House of Representatives for three terms from 2003 to 2009. He was the White House Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama and served as mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. Emanuel ran a bike tour in early primary state New Hampshire in June 2026, fueling speculation of a presidential run.[10][11]

Ruben Gallego

Ruben Gallego has served as a U.S. senator from Arizona since 2025. He has been mentioned as a potential candidate by Politico.[12] Gallego stated in an April 2026 interview that he would "have to look at it," referring to a potential run for president,[13] and reiterated in July that he was considering a presidential run, emphasizing that he was a Democrat who had been successful in a red state.[14]

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris served as the 49th (and first female) vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. She became the party's nominee for president in the 2024 presidential election after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, losing to Trump.[15] Following the 2024 presidential election, Harris considered running for governor of California in 2026,[16] but in July 2025 she opted not to, a decision that left open the possibility of another presidential bid.[17] Harris confirmed in April she was considering running for president in a conversation with Al Sharpton.[18] Harris gave a speech at the National Urban League in July that was speculated to be the basis of a 2028 presidential platform.[19]

Mark Kelly

Mark Kelly has served as a U.S. senator from Arizona since 2020. He was previously on the shortlist to be the vice presidential nominee for the 2024 election, and was seen as a potential replacement for President Joe Biden before he withdrew from the race.[20] Kelly stated that he was considering a presidential run in a BBC interview in February,[21] and once again in April at a conference in Washington DC.[22] It was reported in July 2026 that Kelly has amassed a war chest of $25 million, again fueling speculation that he may run for president.[23]

Ro Khanna

Ro Khanna has served as the U.S. representative for California's 17th congressional district since 2017. A progressive aligned with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party, he was a co-chair of Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign.[24] Khanna gave his clearest public indication of possible interest in March 2026, when, during an interview with WMUR-TV while visiting New Hampshire, he said of a possible presidential bid, "We'll look at that after the midterm," and added that he would decide "whether I'm a candidate or not" after the midterm.[25] Khanna "teased a presidential run during a conversation with ... Al Sharpton" in early April 2026.[26] In June 2026, Politico reported that former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain has been advising Khanna "as he prepares for a possible 2028 presidential bid."[27]

In July 2026, Khanna was detained by the IDF alongside Cameron Kasky and Nadav Weiman, the executive director of the Israeli NGO Breaking the Silence, after trying to visit the ruins of the ruined Palestinian Bedouin village of Khirbet Zanuta.[28] When Reuters prompted him on the question of a presidential bid, he said, "I'm strongly considering it and I'm more resolved to consider it after this trip."[29]

Mitch Landrieu

Mitch Landrieu most recently served as senior advisor to the president for infrastructure investment and jobs from 2021 to 2024. He previously served as mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018 and lieutenant governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2010. In an interview with CNN, Landrieu expressed possible interest in a presidential campaign, stating "Whether I'm the president or one of a hundred of my best friends are president, I am at a point in my life where I really feel like the future of the country is at stake. And so, people say, 'What, are you going to run for president?' Maybe."[30] Randal Gaines, the chair of the Louisiana Democratic Party, spoke to Landrieu about running for the 2026 United States Senate election in Louisiana, though Landrieu was more interested in "a run for president."[31]

Don Lemon

Don Lemon most recently worked as a television news anchor for CNN from 2006 to 2023. He previously served as a correspondent and host on several CNN programs, including Don Lemon Tonight. Following his departure from CNN, Lemon launched independent media projects and public commentary programs, such as The Don Lemon Show. On May 6, 2026, during the Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit, Lemon revealed his ambitions towards a potential candidacy, expressing that he was "seriously considering" a presidential run.[32] A fierce critic of Donald Trump, Lemon stated in an interview with journalist Kara Swisher that he could "definitely run the country a lot better than Donald Trump."[33] He reiterated his interest in running for president in a July 2026 podcast interview with Travis Dhanraj and Karmen Wong, remarking that he was unimpressed with most of the prospective candidates and that significant political experience was no longer a requisite for public office.[34] Although he is a registered independent, Lemon stated that he would register as a Democrat if he were to run for president.[35]

Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom has served as the 40th governor of California since 2019. Newsom has been widely viewed as a contender for the 2028 presidential election by outlets including the Associated Press.[36] He was seen as a potential replacement for Biden after his withdrawal from the 2024 election by The New York Times.[37] According to The New York Times, Newsom was considering a bid for the presidency by September 2023.[38] After Newsom's response to the June 2025 Los Angeles protests, it was reported that his chances of being the 2028 Democratic nominee increased significantly.[39][40] Newsom was later asked if he was considering a run in July 2026, and he responded "I really believe it's fate."[41] He traveled to early primary state South Carolina as part of a southern tour in late August, fueling speculation that he may run for president.[42][43]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has served as the representative of New York's 14th congressional district since 2019. Politico noted that Ocasio-Cortez "has a prominent following from younger, diverse people".[44] Vanity Fair has reported that Ocasio-Cortez is reluctant to launch a presidential campaign and also noted that some have called for her to primary Chuck Schumer in the 2028 New York Senate elections.[45] According to Axios, Ocasio-Cortez has been seen as the only option for "far-left" Democrats, and has attempted to make amends with leftist critics, including by pledging not to support defensive aid to Israel at a forum of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.[46][47] She spoke about a possible 2028 presidential run while being interviewed by David Axelrod in May 2026.[48][49]

Elissa Slotkin

Elissa Slotkin has served as a U.S. senator from Michigan since 2025. She indicated that she was considering a 2028 presidential run in an April 2026 interview with the Associated Press,[50] and in an interview with The Des Moines Register that same month.[51]

Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen has served as a U.S. senator from Maryland since 2017. In a podcast interview with NOTUS after visiting Iowa and New Hampshire in June 2026, Van Hollen said that he was "kicking the tires" on a 2028 presidential run.[52][53]

Gretchen Whitmer

Gretchen Whitmer has served as the 49th governor of Michigan since 2019. Whitmer cast doubt in early October 2025 on a 2028 presidential bid.[54] That same month, she stated that she would not "close the door" on a run for president.[55] She remarked in April 2026 that she was unsure of whether she would run.[56]

She appeared to decline a run in May 2026 at the Mackinac Policy Conference and "backtracked" the same day,[57] saying "never say never."[58]

Speculated by the media

Potential Democratic candidates[b]

Chris Murphy

Chris Murphy is the junior United States senator from Connecticut. Since the 2024 United States presidential election, Murphy has emerged as a prominent critic of Donald Trump and his agenda. Murphy focused on and expressed alarm over what he called "the erosion of American democracy and government corruption in the second Trump administration".[59] The New York Times[60] listed Murphy in May 2026 as a possible presidential candidate, while NBC News mentioned him in a May 2026 article.[61]

JB Pritzker

JB Pritzker has served as the 43rd governor of Illinois since 2019. Pritzker is one of the wealthiest elected officials in America, with an estimated net worth of $3.7 billion,[62] and has largely bankrolled his own gubernatorial campaigns, as well as national abortion-rights initiatives.[63][64] Pritzker was considered a potential running mate to Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.[65] In 2023, Pritzker declined to speak directly with Representative Dean Phillips regarding his effort to try to convince him to enter the Democratic Party presidential primary race to oppose Biden.[66][67] Pritzker is also seeking a third term as governor of Illinois in 2026.[68] Pritzker is a potential Democratic contender, according to an April 2026 article in Time,[69] and a May 2026 article by NBC News,[70] and declined to rule out a run in August 2025.[71][72]

Josh Shapiro

Josh Shapiro has served as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania since 2023. Shapiro was elected in 2022 by 15 points in a state won by Donald Trump twice and is relatively popular in his home state.[73] He has been viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate by MS NOW in May 2026[74] and by ABC27 that same month.[75]

Raphael Warnock

Raphael Warnock has served as a U.S. senator from Georgia since 2021. He was referred to as a potential candidate by Katie Couric Media in May 2026[76] and by Politico the following month.[77]

Declined to run

The following individuals have publicly denied interest in being a candidate:

Primaries and caucus calendar

See also: Timeline of the 2028 United States presidential election
More information Date, Total delegates ...
Caucuses and primaries in the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Date[97] Total
delegates		 Primaries/caucuses
January 22 TBD South Carolina
February 1 TBD Nevada
February 8 TBD New Hampshire
February 15 TBD New Mexico
February 22 TBD Michigan
February 29 TBD Virginia
March 7 TBD Super Tuesday
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Timing

Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party Jane Kleeb stated in November 2024 that "The 2024 calendar will absolutely not be the calendar for 2028."[98] The DNC chose South Carolina to be the first primary in 2024.[99] In December 2024, Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, announced his intention to work towards restoring New Hampshire's status as the first-in-the-nation Democratic presidential primary for the 2028 presidential nominating calendar.[100] By early December 2024, Democrats in Nevada had renewed their bid to hold the first-in-the-nation primary in 2028, citing the state's economic and racial diversity, technical capability, cost for candidates and status as a battleground state.[101]

Following technical problems complicating the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses, the Democratic National Committee changed the order of nominating contests, removing Iowa's first in the nation status.[102] In November 2024, after the presidential election, Scott Brennan, the only Iowan on the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee at the time, said he planned to fight for the return of the first-in-the-nation presidential caucus spot back to Iowa.[103] In June 2025, Iowa's only seat on the DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee, which determines the order of states in the presidential nominating process, was removed, and New Hampshire was awarded a second seat on the committee.[104]

Ken Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee and other party officials, including Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, have discussed the possibility of using ranked-choice voting in the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries. Supporters argue that the system could reduce "wasted votes" and that it would encourage more positive campaigning.[105] Sources such as Alaska Beacon indicated that with plurality voting, which is how most states currently conduct primaries, it is possible to win an election without majority support and that the ranked-choice voting alternative performed much better.[106] After Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City Democratic mayoral primary, progressive voters have proposed that ranked-choice voting could be implemented.[107]

In May 2026, Democratic leaders were debating whether South Carolina or Nevada should be the first contest; supporters of Nevada argued it was a battleground state with strong union presence and a large Hispanic population, while supporters of South Carolina argued passing over South Carolina would diminish the power of Black Democratic voters.[108]

The DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee voted in July 2026 for South Carolina to hold the first primary and for Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia to hold early primaries.[109] New Hampshire and Iowa could host their respective contests earlier than scheduled; New Hampshire state law requires the state to hold the first primary and Iowa Democrats threatened to hold their own contest to ensure they go early.[110] The dates were approved by the entire Democratic National Committee on August 15.[97]

Endorsements

Andy Beshear (undeclared)
Individuals
Gavin Newsom (undeclared)
Individuals
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (undeclared)
U.S. representatives
State officials
Local officials
Individuals
JB Pritzker (undeclared)
Individuals
Stephen A. Smith (declined)
U.S. senators
Individuals
  • Bill Maher, television host, comedian, actor, and political commentator (Independent)[123]

Opinion polling

Nationwide

Main article: Nationwide opinion polling for the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries
This section is transcluded from Nationwide opinion polling for the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries. (edit | history)
Monthly average of nationwide polling
More information Aggregator, Updated ...
Aggregator Updated Andy Beshear Pete Buttigieg Kamala Harris Mark Kelly Gavin Newsom Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez		 Jon Ossoff JB Pritzker Josh Shapiro Other Lead
270toWin[124] August 28, 2026 2.5% 11.7% 25.0% 6.3% 14.0% 9.0% 5.0% 3.0% 5.7% 14.5%[e] Harris +11.0%
Real Clear Polling[125] August 28, 2026 3.5% 11.6% 27.6% 6.8% 16.4% 9.4% 6.2% 3.3% 6.6% 6.2%[f] Harris +11.2%
Race to the WH[126] August 28, 2026 3.0% 11.7% 23.9% 5.1% 16.0% 10.1% 6.6% 3.0% 6.1% 11.8%[g] Harris +7.9%
VoteHub[127] August 28, 2026 3.0% 11.8% 25.4% — 15.5% 8.8% 5.9% — 6.1% — Harris +9.9%
Aggregate 3.0% 11.7% 25.5% 6.1% 15.5% 9.3% 5.9% 3.1% 6.1% — Harris +10.0%
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Statewide

Main article: Statewide opinion polling for the 2028 Democratic Party presidential primaries

See also

Notes

  1. [a]
    Individuals listed below have, as of August 2026, personally expressed an interest in seeking the 2028 Democratic Party presidential nomination in at least two reliable media sources in the last six months.
  2. [b]
    Individuals listed below have, as of August 2026, been mentioned as potential 2028 presidential candidates in at least two reliable media sources in the last six months.
  3. [c]
    Sanders is an independent, but he caucuses with the Democratic Party.
  4. [d]
    Smith is a registered independent, but he has been polled amongst potential Democratic candidates and had expressed interest in running for president as a Democrat.[92]
  5. [e]
    Cory Booker 3.0%, Gretchen Whitmer 2.0%, Abdul El-Sayed 1.0%, John Fetterman 1.0%, Ro Khanna 1.0%, Amy Klobuchar 1.0%, Wes Moore 1.0%, Chris Murphy 1.0%, Raphael Warnock 1.0%, Rahm Emanuel 0.5%
  6. [f]
    Cory Booker 2.5%
  7. [g]
    Cory Booker 3.0%, Gretchen Whitmer 2.2%, Roy Cooper 2.1%, Tim Walz 2.0%, Mark Cuban 1.4%, Stephen A. Smith 1.2%, Jon Stewart 1.1%, Ro Khanna 1.0%, Amy Klobuchar 1.0%

References

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