MANCHESTER, N.H. — At least two Democratic members of Congress are moving closer to a 2028 presidential run, telling MS NOW at campaign events in New Hampshire that they plan to talk to their families about whether to mount a bid for the White House.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Rep. Ro Khanna of California campaigned across the Granite State ahead of its primary on Tuesday, both speaking at an AFL-CIO union breakfast and appearing at separate campaign stops for various downballot Democratic candidates.
“I don’t know yet,” Kelly told MS NOW when asked if he would be spending more time in the early primary state ahead of 2028. “Maybe.”
Kelly’s decision to run for president hinges on two factors: getting the buy-in of his family and meeting the moment.
“It’s getting my family like 100% on board with this,” he said of his calculation on whether to run.
“Our country has serious problems right now, and as you think ahead to what this country is going to be like in 2029, what are the challenges?” he asked, musing on whether the Iran conflict would be resolved by then and what China’s posture toward Taiwan would be. “Who is the best person to handle that?”
Kelly, an astronaut, Navy veteran and member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, is frequently targeted by President Donald Trump. He would be campaigning in a moment in which national security issues are paramount for American voters.
As for Khanna, he’s ready to embrace another moment: voters’ economic concern.
“What I’m hearing is that the economy of the future isn’t working for them,” he said, touting what he calls his vision of “new economic patriotism.” Khanna, an outspoken progressive, could be well-suited to perform well in a state like New Hampshire, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) twice won the Democratic primary.
While he’s been testing his “roadmap for economic security for families” across the country, Khanna noted the decision to run is “a very personal” one.
“It’s brutal on people, it’s brutal on their families,” he said. “And I’ll talk to my family over Thanksgiving or Christmas. But regardless of whether I run, I want my economic vision to be something that the Democratic Party adopts.”
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Julia Jester is a politics reporter for MS NOW.