Following the defeat of Vice President Harris in the November election, the Democratic Party is rushing to find a new leader to take over the party and organize a resistance force against President-elect Trump.
Several people have emerged as likely candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, or at least as representatives of the new generation that will lead the Democratic Party going forward. Those include Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
But the next Democratic leader could be a more low-profile figure, as the role appears to be wide open.
Here are seven future Democratic leaders to watch.
chris murphy
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has been a regular on the Senate Democratic Caucus for more than a decade, but has become more visible after the election as he presses for a new direction for the party.
Days after Trump’s victory, he declared that Democrats needed to expand their ranks to win back lost working-class voters and embrace economic populism as a “tent pole.” He communicated these thoughts more directly a few weeks later in a memo to Democrats.
These debates come as populist fervor on both sides of the aisle has played an increasingly important role in political discourse during the Trump administration. Murphy continues to rail against the incoming Trump administration, questioning why Democrats consider the president-elect’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to be “legitimate,” and criticizing the president-elect’s support for media and press freedom. expressed concern about the impact on
Murphy has been a top voice on gun control since the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, and is negotiating bipartisan gun control legislation in 2022.
Cory Booker
Sen. Cory Booker (D), the first black senator from New Jersey, has a steady presence in the Democratic caucus and is on the verge of becoming one of its top leaders.
Earlier this month, Booker’s Democratic colleagues elected him to chair the new Strategic Communications Committee. This makes him the fourth-ranking Democrat in the Senate, behind Democratic Leader Charles Schumer of New York, Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. becomes.
Booker has already garnered national attention during the 2020 presidential race and is seen as a possible 2028 presidential candidate.
Now, his position leading the new committee puts him at the forefront of messaging from Senate Democrats. Booker said in a release that he will use “creative” messaging and new technologies and platforms to “speak directly to the American people.”
Ro Khanna
With the aging leadership of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), progressives in the Democratic Party also appear to need to fill vacancies at the top.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) would be a much younger pick who has demonstrated progressive integrity. He co-chaired Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign and has helped craft numerous bills in Congress.
He has pledged not to accept funds from political action committees, called for an end to the influence of money in politics, advocated for antitrust policy, and urged Democrats to embrace technological advances and work with Silicon Valley. has set out its own unique path. in his House district.
Khanna has occasionally been the subject of speculation about his possible presidential ambitions. He is a Biden surrogate who ran a write-in campaign in New Hampshire, a key state early in the nominating cycle, ahead of this year’s primaries.
Richie Torres
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D.N.Y.) was first elected to Congress in 2020, and observers say he is likely to be added to the party’s progressive wing. But particularly over the past year, he has distanced himself from the far left and called for his party to take a more moderate approach.
Torres has been harshly critical of progressives since the election, blaming them in part for Harris’ defeat, and saying the party needs to moderate to solve the election’s problems. This is because he has become more prominent as a voice for people he believes in.
He claimed that President Trump “has no greater friends than the far left,” and said the far left is more representative of social media than the “real world.”
He was also equally critical of Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who appears poised to run in the 2024 New York gubernatorial race, calling her “vulnerable as a Democratic candidate.” “She is denying the depth of the issue,” he said, comparing her to the gubernatorial race. This year it’s Biden. If he is successful, he will surely attract attention if he becomes governor of one of the largest Democratic strongholds in the country.
Jared Polis
Colorado Governor Jared Polis (Democratic) made history in 2018 by becoming the first openly gay man to be elected governor of the state, but after the election, President Trump is preparing for a second term. is attracting new attention.
He is taking steps toward cross-sector cooperation rather than resistance, while advocating for the protection of democracy that many of Trump’s critics fear. Polis and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) last month named the Governors Defender of Democracy to strengthen cooperation among governors to combat threats to democracy and protect democratic institutions. launched a bipartisan state-level initiative called
Polis received some criticism for being quick to praise Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who heads the Department of Health and Human Services, but improved upon Alex Azar, who picked him for Trump’s first term. He saw it as a possibility and emphasized keeping an open mind.
Meanwhile, on the policy front, Polis is something of a maverick, opposing mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations and crediting his success as two-term governor to tax cuts and other economic measures. Polis also received praise from Vivek Ramaswamy, who will become co-leader of DOGE, for drastically reducing regulations.
andy beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a red state Democratic governor, was already seen as a rising star in the party after his re-election in 2023.
However, after Harris became the leading Democratic candidate, her stock price rose further in 2024 as she remained a possible running mate for Harris. With Harris ousted and Beshear’s term set to expire in 2027, the Kentucky governor could become one of the party’s top leaders in the future.
In the aftermath of the election, Mr. Beshear wrote an op-ed for the New York Times, exploring the future shape of the party. He said he would not play a “blame game” but urged Democrats to focus on “core issues” such as jobs, housing and health care.
Beshear pointed to his reelection victory as a roadmap for Democrats, saying he won elections because voters knew he cared about them and delivered “tangible” results. He claimed that it was because he brought it on.
He will also be elected vice chair next year and will become chair of the Democratic Governors Association in 2026.
wes moore
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), who will seek political office for the first time in 2022 after a successful gubernatorial campaign, has his name coming up as analysts consider the party’s future. This is happening more and more.
Moore had been speculated as a running mate for Harris, but Harris said she was not interested in the role. However, he is still included in the list of candidates for 2028.
He gained national attention for the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March and for pardoning more than 175,000 marijuana convictions in Maryland in June.
In addition to Moore’s military background, former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown (D) said Moore could be the “next” after Harris “if he does the right thing.”
