In the days after a midterm election that delivered Democrats a string of hard-won seats, a veteran strategist who once steered Barack Obama's re-election is hearing from more than two dozen would-be presidential candidates. The moment rests on a lesson he draws from the ballot: voters in traditionally Republican places responded when the conversation stayed with prices, farms and paychecks rather than the culture wars. Yet he is quick to add that the results were no blanket endorsement of his party, and that the figure who loomed largest over the contest was the president who will remain in o
Over Two Dozen Democrats Weigh 2028 White House Bids After Midterm Gains, Messina Says
The MVP of the election for the Democrats was Donald Trump.
Mark
Why does a claim from a former campaign manager about 2028 deserve attention this early?
Mimi
Because Jim Messina ran Obama's 2012 race and later served as deputy chief of staff. He says he's talked to over two dozen campaigns, some already raising money and hiring.
Luke
Worth noting that's his count, from his own conversations. No campaign is named, and he didn't say who the governor is whose team someone is joining.
Mark
He also predicted exploratory committees soon. How firm is that?
Mimi
He said next week or the next couple of weeks, probably after Thanksgiving. It's a forecast, not an announcement.
Luke
Right, and the timing itself is hedged. Nothing here confirms that any specific person will declare.
Mark
What does he credit for the midterm wins?
Mimi
Sticking to the economy and the effect of Trump's tariffs, which he says hit rural voters hard. He pointed to flips in Iowa, Kansas and Texas.
Luke
That's his explanation. The piece doesn't offer vote data showing why those seats changed hands, so the causal claim is his reading.
Mark
And his warning to his own side?
Mimi
That the wins weren't a ringing endorsement of Democrats. He called Trump the MVP of the election, and said uniting progressives and centrists in Congress is the hard part.
Der Puls
- Over two dozen Democratic campaigns are quietly weighing 2028 bids, and some have already begun raising money and hiring staff.
- A strategist who ran Obama's 2012 campaign is fielding calls as the party tries to turn midterm gains into a presidential path.
- Midterm flips in Iowa, Kansas and Texas are being credited to a disciplined focus on the economy and tariffs rather than social issues.
- Democrats face a choice of whether to keep fighting Donald Trump daily or hold to their own message, a tension shaping every prospective campaign.
- Exploratory committee announcements are expected after Thanksgiving, and the crowded field may soon shrink under fundraising pressure.
In the days after a midterm election that delivered Democrats a string of hard-won seats, a veteran strategist who once steered Barack Obama's re-election is hearing from more than two dozen would-be presidential candidates. The moment rests on a lesson he draws from the ballot: voters in traditionally Republican places responded when the conversation stayed with prices, farms and paychecks rather than the culture wars. Yet he is quick to add that the results were no blanket endorsement of his party, and that the figure who loomed largest over the contest was the president who will remain in office for the entire road to 2028. Whether this crowded ambition thins into a few serious contenders is the question now hanging over the years ahead.
Jim Messina, who ran Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, says his phone has been ringing constantly since the midterms. Speaking to the BBC's Americast podcast, he reports conversations with over two dozen campaigns seriously considering a run for the White House in 2028. Some have moved past deliberation: they are arranging financing and hiring staff, and he knows of one person relocating to work for a governor's prospective campaign, though he did not name the governor.
He expects the first public announcements of exploratory committees to arrive soon, probably after Thanksgiving. He also believes the field will not stay this large, because the money required to compete in primaries will force many hopefuls to fall away. When he meets prospective candidates, he asks two things first: their economic vision for the country, and what they would do about artificial intelligence.
Messina credits the midterm wins to discipline. Democrats, he argues, kept their attention on the economy and on what he called the devastating effects of Trump's tariffs on rural voters, illustrated by a farmer paying $7 a gallon for diesel while costs rose everywhere else. That focus helped them flip seats in Iowa, Kansas and Texas, breaking a familiar pattern of the party losing its message in social fights.
He is careful not to read too much into the result. It was not a ringing endorsement of Democrats, he says, and the most valuable player of the election for them was Donald Trump. The harder work lies ahead: reconciling the party's progressive and centrist wings in Congress, and watching whether the two dozen possible candidates can survive the fundraising test.
Jim Messina, the man who ran Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign, says his phone has been busy since the midterms. Speaking to the BBC's Americast podcast, he said he has spoken to "over two dozen campaigns" that are seriously considering a run for the White House in 2028, following Democratic victories in congressional and state races this week.
According to Messina, some of those operations have moved beyond thinking. They have started the financing process and begun hiring staff. He said he already knows one person who is relocating to work on a governor's presidential campaign, though he did not name the governor.
He expects the public moves to begin soon. In his words, Democrats could start announcing exploratory committees next week or in the following couple of weeks, probably after Thanksgiving. He also predicted the field will not stay this crowded, because candidates will feel pressure to raise the large sums that the primary contests, which decide the party's nominee, demand.
Messina, who later served as Obama's deputy chief of staff, described how he sizes up prospective candidates. When he sits down with them or their teams, he asks for their economic vision for the country and what they would do about AI. There is also the matter of Donald Trump, the outgoing president, who will still be in office throughout the campaign season. Messina framed the question as whether Democrats take the bait and talk about Trump every day, or stay focused on their own message. He called the coming contest the most interesting presidential election since 2008.
He attributed the midterm success to discipline on the economy and on the effects of Trump's tariffs, which he said were devastating to rural voters. He illustrated the point with a farmer paying $7 a gallon for diesel to run a tractor while also paying more for everything else, a situation in which, he said, the economics simply do not work.
That focus, Messina said, helped Democrats flip seats in states with strong Republican traditions, including Iowa, Kansas and Texas. He argued the party broke with its usual pattern. The common criticism is that Democrats cannot stick to one message, but this time, for the first time in a long while, they stuck to the economy and did not take the bait on the social wars.
He was careful not to overstate what the results mean. Messina cautioned that this year's success was not a ringing endorsement of the Democratic Party, and said the most valuable player of the election for Democrats was Donald Trump.
The harder task, he said, comes next: bringing the party's progressive and centrist wings together in Congress. What to watch now is whether exploratory committees appear after Thanksgiving, as he predicts, and how many of the two dozen survive the fundraising test.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The common criticism of Democrats is that we can't stick to one message. And for the first time in a very long time, Democrats stuck to the economy.— Jim Messina, on the BBC's Americast podcast
It's going be the most interesting presidential election since 2008.— Jim Messina, on the BBC's Americast podcast
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