‘Who’s got next?’ Democrats already lining up for 2028 presidential race in early voting states

By STEVE PEOPLES MEG KINNARD and HOLLY RAMER Associated Press SENECA S C AP The first presidential primary votes won t be cast for another two and a half years And yet over the span of days in July three Democratic presidential prospects are scheduled to campaign in South Carolina Nearly a half dozen others have made new pilgrimages to South Carolina New Hampshire and Iowa states that traditionally host the nation s opening presidential nomination contests Still other ambitious Democrats are having private conversations with executives on the ground there The voters in these states are used to seeing presidential contenders months or even years before greater part of the country but the political jockeying in for the presidential contest appears to be playing out earlier with more frequency and with less pretense than ever before California Gov Gavin Newsom was referred to as a presidential candidate at one stop in his two-day South Carolina tour last week Voters shouted after he insisted he was there solely to strengthen the party ahead of the midterms South Carolina has virtually no competitive midterm contests Gov Gavin Newsom D-Calif gives remarks to a crowd at St Paul First Baptist Church on Wednesday July in Laurens S C AP Photo Meg Kinnard Term-limited Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear who acknowledges he s considering a bid will spend two days touring South Carolina this week He will focus on union members in addition to the state s Black population in a speech that could draw an implicit contrast with Newsom on cultural issues according to excerpts of his planned remarks obtained by The Associated Press California Congressman Ro Khanna a progressive aligned with the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic Party will target Black voters when he s in the state a inadequate days later with the son of a civil rights leader And former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is having private conversations with key South Carolina Democrats including presidential primary kingmaker Rep Jim Clyburn in which Emanuel indicated strong interest in a presidential run That s according to Clyburn himself who revealed he s also had direct contact with Beshear and Khanna after appearing alongside Newsom last week and Maryland Gov Wes Moore in May That s what candidates have to do position themselves and be ready when lightning strikes Clyburn mentioned Democrats look to turn the page from The unusually early jockeying is playing out as the Democratic Party struggles to repair its brand rebuild its message and fill a leadership vacuum after losing the White House and both chambers of Congress in Democrats are decidedly more optimistic about Republicans will not have the advantage of incumbency in the next presidential contest the Constitution bars President Donald Trump from seeking a third term And the race for the Democratic nomination appears to be wide open even as nominee Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov Tim Walz have left open the possibility of running again With no clear front-runner several Democratic operatives believe upwards of high-profile Democrats could ultimately enter the primary more than the party s overpacked field And as Democrats struggle to stop Trump s power grabs in Washington specific statement a real sense of urgency to get the process started Texas Rep Jasmine Crockett a rising Democratic star narrated the AP earlier this year that presidential prospects need to be more visible earlier as party representatives look to take cues from a new generation of leaders What freaks majority Democrats out is not really understanding who s up next Like who s got next she commented And I think that that is really what people want the bulk they want their presidential nominee now A Kentucky Democrat strategies into the conversation FILE Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear delivers his State of The Commonwealth address in the House chamber at the State Capitol in Frankfort Ky Jan AP Photo Timothy D Easley File Beshear Kentucky s -year-old two-term governor is scheduled to make his first visit to South Carolina on political grounds on Wednesday and Thursday He ll start by addressing the AFL-CIO before promoting his appeal among red-state moderates and Black voters in a Thursday speech hosted by the Georgetown County Democrats in a region that voted three times for Trump and has a large Black population Democrats have a huge opportunity to seize the middle and win back the voters who have been increasingly skeptical of the Democratic brand But it s going to take focus and discipline Beshear is expected to say according to speech excerpts obtained by the AP There are no direct jabs at Newsom in the excerpts but Beshear is expected to continue drawing contrasts with the California governor who earlier this year suggested his party went too far in embracing woke priorities In his prepared remarks Beshear doesn t shy away from such progressive cultural issues He will note he made Juneteenth an executive branch holiday for the first time in Kentucky signed an executive order that prohibits discrimination against state workers for how they wear their hair and ordered the removal of a statue of Jefferson Davis who served as the president of the Confederacy during the Civil War The current federal administration wants to make diversity a dirty word Beshear plans to say They want people to believe that equity means everyone isn t worthy of opportunities Who else is stepping up Already this year Walz of Minnesota and Moore of Maryland have addressed South Carolina Democrats Biden Cabinet member Pete Buttigieg a presidential candidate hosted a town hall in Iowa in May The month before Illinois Gov JB Pritzker headlined a Democratic benefit event in New Hampshire Others are moving more cautiously Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro has avoided any early state tour this year focusing instead on his reelection Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer has also focused largely on her day job Both would be top-tier presidential candidates should they decide to run Khanna has been working to build his national profile since before the last polling with frequent trips to New Hampshire among other early voting states The California congressman is scheduled to host two town-hall style meetings in South Carolina this weekend with Illinois Rep Jonathan Jackson the son of civil rights leader the Rev Jesse Jackson Khanna casts his lower profile at least compared to prospective competitors like Newsom and Shapiro as an asset when urged about his party s early field I think it s very different than in the past when you ve had clear defined leaders of the party I think that s healthy There is no status quo person Khanna mentioned My guess is the last thing the party is going to want is more of the same Newsom s South Carolina dance Newsom spent much of last year denying interest in a presidential run But with his final term as governor set to expire at the end of next year his ambitions are starting to emerge more publicly Related Articles Trump envoy arrives in Kyiv as US pledges more Patriot missiles to Ukraine Trump to make unprecedented second state visit to UK in September Tariffs on Brazil could leave coffee drinkers with a headache MAGA is tearing itself apart over Jeffrey Epstein Drones are key to winning wars now The U S makes hardly any During his latest South Carolina tour Newsom only smiled when voters shouted after he referenced his focus on the midterms Clyburn mentioned openly what the California governor would not Appearing with Newsom Clyburn encouraged local Democrats to be energized by the visits of presidential candidates coming early and often to their state Newsom looked around seemingly seeking the object of Clyburn s remark as the crowd laughed In an interview afterward Clyburn disclosed he doesn t have an early favorite in the Democratic nomination contest New Hampshire remains a athlete Pritzker headlined a key state fundraising event in New Hampshire in May And state Democratic leaders are privately encouraging other prospects to visit the state Unlike South Carolina New Hampshire features two competitive House races and a top-tier Senate electoral process next year Minnesota Sen Amy Klobuchar a Democratic presidential candidate campaigned Friday in the state with Rep Chris Pappas who is expected to represent Democrats on the Senate ballot next fall In a brief interview she insisted her only purpose was backing Pappas campaign I am here to help my friend she explained I know a lot of people here and I want to put it to use in a good way What do the voters say It may be early but chosen Democratic voters and local administrators say they re ready to get the cycle started Jody Gaulin the Democratic chair of a deep-red South Carolina county is hoping the potential that comes along with probable candidates could boost her party s ranks This is exactly what we ve been waiting for Gaulin stated It s much the same in New Hampshire Democrat Jane Lescynski who works at the manufacturing facility Klobuchar toured Friday had a quick answer when demanded her thoughts about the presidential balloting I can t wait she stated Peoples released from New York Ramer communicated from Gilsum New Hampshire