Two Democratic Governors Considering a Run for President in 2028

Kentucky Gov. Beshear and former Rhode Island Gov. Raimondo said they’re open to running, while several others are the subject of speculation.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear addresses a crowd in Covington, Ky., on Jan. 4, 2023. Michael Swensen/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—A number of U.S. governors are indicating that they may seek the Democratic nomination for president in the 2028 general election.

The 61st U.S. presidential election will be held on Nov. 7, 2028. President Donald Trump, having been elected in 2016 and 2024, is ineligible to seek another term per the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. Historically, after a president’s second term, the opposition party has a greater chance of winning—as was the case in the elections of 2000, 2008, and 2016.

A high-ranking statewide office, usually that of a governor or U.S. senator, is generally seen as a stepping stone to the presidency. Except for Trump, the last four presidents served in one of those offices, with President Joe Biden also serving as vice president. The Democratic presidential primary is expected to be competitive in 2028, with many Democratic governors indicating their intentions to run.

One of them is Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

“If you‘d asked me a couple years ago if this is something I would consider, I probably wouldn’t have, but I don’t want to leave a broken country to my kids, and so, if I’m somebody that can bring this nation together, hopefully find some common ground, it’s something I’ll consider,” Beshear told reporters at WDRB news in Louisville as he inspected the grounds of the Kentucky Derby.

Beshear will become chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, a group that works to elect Democratic governors in every state, in 2026 after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s term as chair expires.

Beshear was considered a possible running mate for then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2024. He was reportedly on a shortlist and was excluded as the final decision came down to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Harris selected Walz, and they later lost the election to Trump and then-Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).

Former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has also said she is considering a run. Raimondo was governor from 2015 to 2021, when she resigned to become the U.S. Secretary of Commerce during the Biden administration.

Asked if she was considering a run for president, Raimondo said yes during an April 29 discussion with Democratic political consultant David Axelrod at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

“The Democratic Party has a huge amount of work to do, introspection ... how will we overcome this impression that we’re elitist, we’re out of touch, we don’t have our sense on the culture. ... I don’t know how many [electoral] cycles it’s going to take,” she said.

Beyond Beshear and Raimondo, Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, and Wes Moore of Maryland have all been mentioned by observers as possible contenders for the nomination.

Shapiro is also frequently mentioned as a likely candidate due to his popularity in his home state, which has 19 electoral college votes and is the biggest battleground state. Shapiro will be running for reelection in 2026.