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.”
Over Labor Day weekend, the lawmakers tested out potential stump speeches in front of voters.
“It’s really hard for me to say this because I spent 25 years in the Navy, but what we need is an army to win this election,” Kelly told volunteers at a canvassing launch for Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H.
Speaking to a room of union workers at the Labor Day AFL-CIO breakfast, Khanna said: “My belief is that the Democrats have a very simple way forward: We need a vision in this country that calls for the biggest economic mission in a generation. The times don’t call for tinkering around in incrementalism.”
By touting his Pennsylvania roots and support for a billionaire tax, Khanna addressed what could be a weakness on the presidential primary campaign trail: He represents Silicon Valley, home to one-third of the nation’s wealth.
“The point of this country is it’s supposed to work for every place in every community,” he said to applause. “I believe the Democrats’ highest priority should be to build a future economy that works and has success for every American in every community, not just for a few billionaires in a few places. It needs to be America’s next move.””
Though one is a moderate and the other a progressive, both are concerned about corruption among Trump and his allies and say their mission is to improve the lives of the American people.
“We need to chart a different path,” Kelly said. “We need to get on a better trajectory.” The astronaut added, “I know a little bit about trajectories, and the one we’re on kind of sucks right now, and we’ve got to fix it.”
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