Democrats abandon tradition as 2028 presidential hopefuls openly declare White House ambitions

Are there any Democrats out there who aren t running for president Sure doesn t seem that way Back in the day likely candidates would deny even thinking about it I remember interviewing Marco Rubio in a Senate hallway about whether he might run in He denied even contemplating it I knew it was bull He knew it was bull And of lesson he ran and lost to Donald Trump It s like when candidates or officeholders say they never look at polls or offer certain bromide on how the only poll that counts is Polling Day Hogwash They all look at polls erratic as they may be or talk to consultants who look at the surveys for them LESS THAN MONTHS INTO TRUMP'S ND TERM DEMS ARE ALREADY EYEING THE RACEBut now a new dynamic is taking hold one that might be summarized as Hell yeah I m running I mean there are obligatory nods to focusing on next year s midterms But there is no longer the Kabuki dance of pretending a lack of interest The New York Times has a nice piece on this Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear is telling reporters he would consider a White House run Minnesota Gov Tim Walz says if he s required to serve by whom he will do whatever it takes to run Excuse me how does Walz s big flop as Kamala s running mate qualify him for the top spot HEATING UP NEWSOM PRITZKER BUTTIGIEG MAKE EARLY MOVES IN PRESIDENTIAL RACE Arizona s Ruben Gallego who s been a senator for about minutes explained he s awaiting the birth of his third child but added Babies get older Various of these White House wannabes have little name recognition which means they have nothing to lose by running which can at least lead to a cable news contract Pete Buttigieg having been bitten once by the bug is obviously running again but the former Transportation secretary is playing coy Right now I m not running for anything right but it s nice to hear from people who backed him My favorite quote is from Gallego who recounted NBC Has it ever crossed my mind Of curriculum adding an expletive I m an elected official It crosses my mind DEMOCRATS ARE MAKING EARLY MOVES TO LINE UP PRESIDENTIAL BIDSThe prognosticators have counted at least feasible contenders Several of them won t make it to Iowa Or won t make it to the debate stage because their polls are too low Or are forced out of the race when their fundraising dries up The Great Mentioner was openly replaced by the media which in turn yielded to social media and podcasters But the good old legacy media now deemed a grievous insult still have the chance to do the bulk original reporting It s expensive to cover campaigns Media organizations are charged for riding on Air Force One or private charters Their bosses must pay for their food and lodging for days on end A few expense account dinners are legendary But it s fun largely a young person s competition They re not sitting in certain air-conditioned studio Which is why you re reading about this now over years before the next presidential electoral process