Office Hours: Who Should Be the Democratic Presidential Candidate in 2028 (Part III)?

Friends,

Two weeks ago, I listed the top four potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates by current name recognition: Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Out of the 7,174 of you who voted on these four, only 6 percent chose Kamala Harris; 12 percent were for Gavin Newsom; 26 percent of you chose Pete Buttigieg; and 6 percent were for AOC.

The rest of you — 49 percent — wanted someone else.

Last week, I listed the top four “someone else” candidates: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Out of the 6,422 of you who voted on these four, 24 percent chose Pritzker, 37 percent were for Kelly, 7 percent were for Shapiro, and 18 percent were for Beshear. The remaining 14 percent wanted someone else.

That left a “third tier” — in terms of name recognition — comprising California Congressman Ro Khanna, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and former congressman and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.

So this week we’re going to assess these four. Here’s a summary of the current third tier’s strengths and weaknesses. Please vote among these four.