So What

So What

My rankings of the 10 Democrats most likely to be the 2028 nominee

Here. We. Go.

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Chris Cillizza
Feb 03, 2026
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How do I know the 2028 Democratic presidential race has begun in earnest?

Gavin Newsom is flacking his new memoir (and getting the Vogue and New Yorker profile treatment!).

Josh Shapiro is out with his own memoir.

Cory Booker just announced a national tout to promote his new book about his 25-hour filibuster last April.

That’s a lot of memoir-izing! And I didn’t even mention that Gretchen Whitmer joined Substack this week!

Gretchen Whitmer's Substack
Lifelong Michigander. Proud mom. Governor of Michigan.

Remember: There are no coincidences in politics. Politicians do this sort of stuff to tell their story. To drive buzz. And to start the process of introducing themselves to voters.

The race is on. Period.

I realized — somewhat shockingly — that I haven’t released new rankings on the 2028 Democratic field since September! With the race now in semi-full swing, I am going to be doing these rankings — as well as my rankings of the 2028 Republican field — monthly.

These rankings are the result of conversations with political pros, my observations of the potential candidates and decades of watching how the two parties pick their nominees.

This post — and all future 2026 and 2028 rankings posts — will be behind the paywall. This is the sort of insider information and analysis that I believe distinguishes me as someone calling balls and strikes without fear or favor.

I hope you consider becoming a paid subscriber today. For just $6 a month or $60 for the entire year, you get access to ALL of my content including my weekly podcast with Chuck Todd, an exclusive Sunday email with my recommendations on what to watch and listen to and my line-by-line breakdowns of Donald Trump’s speeches and interviews.

Before I get to the rankings, I wanted to share how the betting public sees in the 2028 race. I tend to see these betting markets as a useful indicator of where overall sentiment is on a particular contest. The chart below, which comes courtesy of Polymarket, suggests that Newsom is regarded as the clear frontrunner at this point.

(Nota bene: Polymarket is sponsoring this post!)

Does the public’s sense of the race gibe with my rankings? Scroll down to see!

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