Power Shift

As governors emerge as the Democrats' top messengers, the trend of senators becoming the party's presidential nominee looks set to change in 2028

- ALEX J. ROUHANDEH

AFTER 40 DAYS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT being shut down, eight members of the Senate Democratic Caucus broke ranks to provide Republicans the support needed to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold and begin the process of reopening the government.

“Pathetic,” responded California Governor Gavin Newsom—far from the only Democratic governor willing to critique his peers in Washington amid the search for a voice to their party since the 2024 election. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill all torched the deal on X.

For Democrats, governors have provided the few sparks for optimism during President Donald Trump’s second term as they’ve trolled, sued and enforced state laws to stifle his administration, while candidates like Sherrill and now-Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger of Virginia defeated Trump-aligned candidates on a message centered on affordability.

As the nation heads toward the 2026 midterms, voters can expect Democratic governors to once again take center stage as the party’s top messengers. And with that, it becomes increasingly unlikely that the party’s 2028 presidential candidate will emerge from the halls of the Senate, as Joe Biden and Barack Obama did. “[Governors] can’t just make speeches, cast votes and go home—they have to deliver,” Meghan Meehan-Draper, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, told Newsweek. “[At the DGA] we’ve been working very, very hard to bring the Democratic ecosystem to be focused on the power of state races and governors.”