Who Should be the Democrats' 2028 Presidential Nominee?
Will Raven, Connor Summerell, and Cianan Sheekey
31/05/25
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THE DEMOCRATIC DONKEY, IMAGE: KELLY SIKKEMA
Trump Proved Outsiders Can Win, and in 2028, the Democrats Will Need One of Their Own
Contributor
When the 2028 Presidential Election rolls around, Trump will be a mere 82 years old. Despite his snoozing through many cabinet meetings, the people of the United States will likely be even more tired than the President by then. A population forced to live 12 years in the shadow of the man Frankie Boyle aptly described as the human equivalent of “a pumpkin having a nervous breakdown”. With the Republicans set to go in-house and likely nominate either Vice President Vance or Secretary of State Rubio, the Democrats would do well to seek someone from further afield.
The self-proclaimed ‘f*ck it candidate’, Jon Stewart, best known as host of The Daily Show, would fit the bill nicely. His potential candidacy has, for a while now, been thrown around not in the halls of Congress but in the corners of late-night TV and Change.org, where a petition to see the 63-year-old comedian step forward has drawn thousands of signatures. Stewart’s passionate monologues clearly resonate with a large and growing mass of the American electorate, his political satire cutting, time and time again, at the incompetence of the current administration. Where he sits politically is harder to nail down, but he likely comes from the left of the Democratic Party and is a long-term advocate for increased transparency and accountability within the caucus. Given the chance, Stewart could be the Trump-esque outsider the Democrats need, offering Americans the hope of an alternative vision for the future.
Pete Buttigieg: A Generational Talent
Contributor
Pete Buttigieg is the single most impressive politician I have witnessed. The small-town mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has proven in every aspect of his life that he is exceptional. Academically, he studied both at Harvard and Oxford, where he thrived. Personally, he has been in a loving marriage with his husband, Chasten, for 7 years and is now a father of two twins. Politically, as a mayor, he made huge advances for South Bend with a series of urban revitalisation programmes and major infrastructure investment, ultimately leading President Obama to cite him as a key talent of the Democratic Party. Later, during his presidential run, he showed his ability to articulate his arguments in a way few other Democrats can and to an audience few others can reach (exemplified by his response to an abortion question during a FOX town hall).
While his run was ultimately unsuccessful, he later became Transportation Secretary in Biden’s cabinet. While in this position, he was instrumental in passing monumental pieces of legislation, such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. His achievements and reforms were so great that he was described by Insider as “the most powerful transportation secretary in history”. Looking forward to 2028, America is going to need a generational talent to reverse the damage to its soul, which the current administration has turned into a virus devouring its host. With his policy experience, communicative abilities, and deep moral principles, Mayor Pete is this talent.
BUT WHICH CANDIDATE WILL INSPIRE THEM TO?, IMAGE: JON TYSON
The Democrats Need Something New(som)
Managing Editor
When they go low, we need to go high, many a left-leaning US commentator has uttered. Why? Such an approach risks ignoring what has made the Republicans so demonstrably successful in recent years, and a large part of that has been their piss and vinegar, specifically Trump’s. The President knows and says what he wants, and is willing to light fires to scold his opponents. Clinton and Harris failed to deal with this and lost, while Biden only won because of what Covid-19 did to the (surprisingly strong) Trump economy.
Get in the mud and roll around a little! And California Governor Newsom certainly has (and no doubt will). Unlike so many contemporary Democrats, who lack a compelling personal identity, Newsom harkens back to the American Dream with an injection of Californian interventionism. Not governed by ideological labels like, say, Ocasio-Cortez and her loudly proclaimed democratic socialism, he is a pragmatic evolution of Clinton: a charismatic, visionary, and unburdened by the baggage of Third Wayism, though undoubtedly evolved from it.
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