‘We can’t lose’: all eyes on potential 2028 Democratic contenders at big party gathering for this year’s midterms | Democrats

Ssome of the The Democratic Party’s most prominent figures — and possible 2028 presidential candidates — descended on New York this week for the National Action Network’s (NAN) annual convention hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton, where discussions focused on the upcoming midterm elections, affordability, the war in Iran and the future of the Democratic Party.

“Now more than ever, it’s up to all of us to defend the future of our country, by doing a little public service — at a minimum, everyone needs to get out and vote in the next election,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told the crowd Thursday.

The convention, which began Wednesday and continues through Saturday, marks one of the largest gatherings of potential 2028 Democratic Party candidates ever seen.

Lawmakers including Pritzker; Maryland Governor Wes Moore; Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro; California Rep. Ro Khanna; and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego all took the stage. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is expected Friday and Saturday; Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear; Arizona Senator Mark Kelly; South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn; and former vice president and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. (It was reported that California Governor Gavin Newsom and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez were unable to attend.)

Basil Smikle Jr., the former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, told Bloomberg this week that the convention “has become a very important gathering for issues specific to the African American community and the activist community.”

“No candidate will succeed in a primary or win a general election without black voters,” Smikle said, adding that the conference is a key step in Sharpton’s endorsement process.

On Thursday morning, Moore, elected governor of Maryland in 2022 and considered a rising figure in the Democratic Party, took the stage with Sharpton, who asked him about the war in Iran.

A veteran, Moore described the war as “personal, because I know what these soldiers are going through right now and what their families are going through.”

“The conversations that are or are not happening with Iran and all of our global partners are difficult; the biggest challenge for me, however, is the lack of conversation with the American people,” he said.

“It’s our taxpayer dollars that are being used to do this. We’re watching now as our gas prices continue to skyrocket, energy prices continue to skyrocket, groceries are more expensive, and we’re fighting this foreign war that none of us asked for, but it’s being fought in our name.”

Moore continued: “The United States military is the best military in the history of the world, there is nothing the United States military cannot do militarily, [but] the question is: should we do it? And I don’t think the President of the United States has answered that question.”

Like many speakers, Moore returned repeatedly to the issue of affordability, recounting how his own mother’s energy bill has increased over the past year.

When Sharpton asked if he would run in 2028, the audience erupted in applause. But despite speculation about his future, Moore, who is running for office this year, has not spoken about his possible 2028 ambitions, but instead stressed the importance of the 2026 election.

“Everyone who’s thinking about 2028 needs to see that you’re taking 2026 seriously,” he said, before adding: “I’m hungry, but I’m not thirsty. I need people to take this moment seriously and understand the type of assault we’re under right now and show me something now.”

When Pritzker, who is also running for re-election this year as governor of Illinois, joined Sharpton on stage, he told the crowd: “We will have no future for this country if we don’t fight to preserve our democracy, so that’s just a predicate for everything else.” »

But, he stressed, “you don’t win elections by talking to the public about democracy.”

Pritzker said the most important issues for people are often how they’re going to pay their rent, bills or education costs, let alone their retirement.

“I know everyone uses the word ‘affordability,’ but we have to talk about it in very simple language. It has to be about lowering costs for people,” Pritzker said, adding, “We also have to raise the minimum wage in this country.”

Like Moore, Pritzker has avoided talking about his plans for 2028, instead emphasizing his re-election campaign and the importance of the midterm elections.

“I’ve been involved in every presidential election, in one way or another, since I was an adult, and I will be more involved than ever in 2028 because we can’t lose,” Pritzker said.

Gallego, who represents Arizona in the Senate and has also been floated as a 2028 candidate, spoke about the changes he’s seen among working-class voters, particularly Latino men, in the 2024 elections.

“In 2024, we saw working-class Latino men crossing the border and turning to Donald Trump,” he said, adding that when he spoke with them, “one of the things they always talked about was ‘I want to buy something, I want to build something, I want to own something, I want to feel like someone is fighting for me.’

Gallego said he believes that if the Democratic Party focused on these things, it would be victorious.

“Then we will have to follow through on our actions once we win,” he added, before also deferring questions about his presidential ambitions.

“We will deal with these issues after 2026,” he said.

The broader debate over the direction of the Democratic Party surfaced repeatedly throughout the convention.

Ro Khanna said on Wednesday the party needed “more moral clarity” and “conviction”.

“We will defend human rights in this country,” he said. “We’re going to stand up for economic rights and economic justice, and we’re going to stand up for a moral vision of America. What I would say is the Democratic Party, we need to let it tear itself apart a little more. We need to talk a little more about our moral vision. We need to be belief-based.”

Also during Wednesday’s show, Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, billed the midterm elections as a “national referendum on Donald Trump and what’s happening in Washington, D.C.” and urged people to get out and vote.

Other conference attendees included House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and others.

Harris is expected to join Sharpton for a “fireside chat” on Friday. In interviews she has given since leaving office, she has not ruled out another presidential bid. Sharpton recently told Politico that Harris is “an absolutely powerful force in the black community” and that he feels “she’s been ignored, and we’re going to talk about that at our convention.”

At Thursday’s convention, Chicago’s Monet S Wilson called the speakers “inspiring” and told the Guardian she appreciated the opportunity to engage with people about what’s coming in 2026 and 2028.

She highlighted Pritzker’s remarks on housing and affordability, and said she was also watching numbers from the likes of Moore, Newsom and Khanna for 2028. She said she looked forward to hearing from more speakers Friday and Saturday.

“I’m excited about the energy,” she said.

Other participants echoed this enthusiasm. Wallace Bradley, also of Chicago, called Pritzker’s remarks “right on time” and said he appreciated Moore’s remarks. Bradley stressed that he would support any Democratic candidate “who understands the needs of the people.”

“We have to listen to the people,” he said, adding that he believes Democrats need to focus more on the agenda in the midterms and 2028 to win.

Benita Barnes, who came from Houston, Texas, and recently joined her local NAN chapter, said the current political climate motivated her recent involvement. The convention, she said, gave her more hope and inspiration.

Yet for some, it is simply too early to make decisions about 2028.

New York resident Annette Wilcox told the Guardian that she felt like she hadn’t yet heard enough about the possible Democratic presidential candidates to make up her mind.

“It’s very early,” she said.