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Political Memo
Voters could be forgiven for thinking so. The party’s up-and-comers, heavy on tough talk and light on new ideas, are being remarkably open about wanting to run despite how early it is.
May 18, 2025, 5:01 a.m. ET
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky is telling reporters that he “would consider” a presidential bid. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the most recent Democratic vice-presidential nominee, says that if he is “asked to serve,” he will do “whatever it takes” to run.
And Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who dodged a question about his presidential ambitions by mentioning the imminent birth of his third child, couldn’t help adding, “Babies get older.”
Before the shadow primary — the quiet frenzy of courting donors, aides and the news media that defines the earliest stages of a presidential race — comes a period of politics that is a bit louder and a whole lot sillier.
Call it the chatter primary.
And this year, the talk about the 2028 presidential race seems to be coming from nearly every direction in the Democratic Party.
“Right now, I’m not running for anything,” Pete Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary who ran for president in 2020, told reporters in Iowa last week. “But, of course, it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.”
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