Dozens of Democrats eyeing 2028 presidential run, says former Obama aide

Democratic strategist Jim Messina, who ran Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, says more than two dozen potential candidates are already weighing 2028 White House bids after his party's strong showing in this week's midterm elections. Speaking on the BBC's Americast podcast, Messina said he has talked with over two dozen campaigns that have started raising money and hiring staff, and that he knows someone moving to help with a governor's presidential effort. He expects exploratory committees to be announced within weeks, probably after Thanksgiving, though he predicted the field would narrow as contenders face the pressure of fundraising for the primaries.

Messina, later Obama's deputy chief of staff, credited the midterm gains to Democrats staying focused on the economy and on the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs, which he said hurt rural voters badly. He said that discipline helped the party flip seats in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, and that Democrats avoided being drawn into cultural fights.

He warned that the results were not a ringing endorsement of Democrats, calling Trump the election's "MVP" for the party.

Summarized by PolitiKool from BBC’s reporting. Read the full story at BBC →