DONALD TRUMP‘S aggressive policy agenda is doing more than reshaping the economy and immigration enforcement.
It’s also giving a handful of Democratic governors a national stage to position themselves as potential 2028 presidential contenders.
California’s Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ JB Pritzker and Maryland’s Wes Moore have seized on Trump‘s moves to rally their party’s base, sharpen their contrasts with the White House and build networks beyond their home states.
Trump‘s push for Republican states to redraw their congressional districts to favour his party in next year’s midterm elections, his military-style immigration raids in Democratic cities and deep federal spending cuts have triggered fierce resistance among Democrats.
That opposition has become a political asset for governors looking to raise their profiles.
California governor Newsom pushed back against Trump’s redistricting effort by successfully championing a ballot measure in his state that may allow Demo-crats to take extra seats in next year’s congressional elections.
Newsom, who is weighing a 2028 presidential run, celebrated his win with a speech to Demo-crats in Houston, Texas, a move viewed as raising his profile beyond his home state.
Pritzker, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a defender of immigrant communities against Trump’s enforcement surge in Illinois.
Last week, he signed legislation barring federal arrests at schools and courthouses.
He has also headlined Democratic events in New Hampshire and Minnesota, where he has urged his party to be bolder against Trump.
Moore has blasted Trump’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce and slash SNAP food benefits for low-income families during a recent government shut-down.
He responded by restoring full SNAP benefits in Maryland and campaigning for Democrats in swing states, framing his actions as a direct counter to Trump’s policies.
Their actions have been greeted by relief and excitement in a party looking for a jolt after Trump trounced Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris last year, and Republicans gained control of Congress.
Mike Doyle, chair of the Harris County Democratic Party in Houston, attended Newsom’s speech and said the crowd “was as enthusiastic” as he had ever seen.
He credited Newsom for coming to Texas, a state in which Democrats are hoping to boost their electoral fortunes in the midterms and beyond.
Newsom’s “decision to essentially kick off his 2028 presidential campaign in Houston demonstrated to a lot of folks on the ground exactly the kind of aggressive, mathematically sophisticated thinking Democrats need nationally”, Doyle said in an interview.
Democratic strategists say the governors are tapping into frustrations among many Democrats over their party’s struggle to define itself and what it stands for in the Trump era.
“If you ask Democrats in polling what they want most from their elected officials, it is to put a check on Trump,” said Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster.
Belcher has seen this before. He was a pollster for Barack Obama as the then largely unknown Illinois politician rose in national prominence during the George W. Bush administration largely through his opposition to the Iraq war.
Newsom, Pritzker and Moore aren’t the only Democratic governors considered to be in the 2028 mix.
Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and Kentucky’s Andy Beshear could also enter the race.
But Trump has not taken aim at their states the way he has with California, Illinois and Maryland, denying those governors the same kind of platform.
Strong opposition to Trump has boosted not just Democratic governors.
In New York City, Zohran Mamdani’s unlikely victory in the mayoral race was made possible, in part, by his willingness to confront Trump on issues such as the rising cost of living and protecting immigrant communities.
Newsom, arguably, has taken most advantage of the moment.
On social media — a critical battleground for any politician with presidential ambitions —he trolls Trump with spoof posts that routinely go viral.
Newsom has acknowledged in interviews he is considering running for the 2028 Democratic nomination and will decide after next year’s midterms.
“A lot of people in public life are understandably intimidated by Trump and how he operates. Newsom has shown he is not one of those people,” said Brian Brokaw, a political adviser to Newsom.
In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last month, 64 per cent of Democrats had a favourable opinion of Newsom.
A majority of Democrats said they were unfamiliar with Pritzker or Moore, suggesting both have work to do to build their national brands.
The writer is from Reuters
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