Should Democrats pin their 2028 hopes on the "safest white boy"?

[TheProle]

Representative Jasmine Crockett has revealed Democratic donors are vying for the “safest white boy” possible in the 2028 presidential race.

The Texas lawmaker joined Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Malcolm Kenyatta Thursday on SiriusXM’s Urban View to discuss their party’s future following Democrats’ electoral defeat in November.

There, Crockett said Democratic donors are already starting to rally behind potential 2028 presidential candidates. Donors are eager for a white man to run, she added.

“It is this fear that the people within the party, within the primary system, will have about voting for a woman because every time we voted for a woman, we’ve lost so far,” Crockett said, referring to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

“I think that that’s a natural fear because we just want to win,” she added. “So there’s a lot of people that are like, ‘You know what? Like, let’s go find the safest white boy we can find.’ I mean, I’m just saying.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jasmine-crockett-democratic-candidate-2028-b2748800.html

[SSJVegeta]

1. That was basically Biden in 2020. Seemed to work out at first...

Until it didn't.

[anamnua]

20. You would have to add 'age under 70' to the list. NT

[SSJVegeta]

25. Could help

[Polybius]

63. You would have to add 'age under 80' to the list

There, fixed it for ya.

[Skittles]

26. and I could see UNTIL IT DIDN'T from the start

shocked me how few people got it

[SSJVegeta]

27. Yeah... hopefully that mistake is not repeated.

[Initech]

34. Well, to win the election, we have to break free of the 800 pound gorilla in the room no one wants to talk about.

Which is of course the "We report, you decide" network - Fox News. If we don't go after them hard, they will steal another election and the one after that. And the one after that. We must fight them with everything we have.

[Jack Valentino]

72. The demographic who decided the last election, and will decide the next election,

were not habitual Fox News viewers, IMHO....


just people who were worried about the price of eggs and a bag of Doritos....

A somewhat narrow slice of indepedant voters, who chose to believe his lies...
now I hope they know better.

[Initech]

74. There's definitely a special place in hell for Jill Stein and RFK Jr.

[Jack Valentino]

75. Jill Rfk WHO ??

and when they get to hell, no one will know who they are

[Initech]

78. Well, Jill Stein only shows up every four years to fuck with elections and that's it.

Other than that, she serves no other useful purpose.

[Cosmocat]

84. The only two high level Democrats who have been able to rise above their

non stop hate and slander since the early 90s have been Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama.

They have taken down Al Gore, John Kerry, Howard Dean, Hillary and Kamala.

Going back, they successfully negatively framed the hell out of Jimmy Carter.

Being male helps, for sure, and being "cool" seems to help, too.

THIS IS NOT MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS.

I have always liked and defended Hill and I liked Kamala a lot, too.

Just saying, based on the general stupidity of the people in this country and the republican party's ability to manipulate it ...

Joe has some cool him, too. But, their rage and delusion increases exponentially over time. JFK might not be good enough to get past it at this point.

[exboyfil]

101. Should have been content with one term

Four years to get next candidate.

[synni]

2. Sadly, yes

Job One right now is to get the White House back. Thanks to the current political climate, we are going to have to deal with even more bigotry than usual in 2026 and 2028.

In future elections, we will have the opportunity to make history. Right now, our main concern is to make America sane again.

[mr715]

9. Unless there is a "the one"

Obama did kind of come out of nowhere. Sadly, yes, least risk demographics but maybe there is a unicorn somewhere.

[Mossfern]

15. I don't think he came out of nowhere.

His speech at the 2004 DNC convention had me thinking - "Well, he's gonna be President one day.

[elocs]

18. I don't think we were alone in thinking that. N/T

[mr715]

24. Sorta kinda

I didn't fully appreciate his electoral excellence until well after he secured the nomination in 2008

[mr715]

23. Yeah you're right

I never expected THAT performance in 2004 though.

[mopinko]

35. i remember that night here on du.

u were absolutely not alone. there must have been a dozen threads in 10 minutes.

[Midwestern Democrat]

59. True but that was the kind of "A superstar just fell into our laps" moment that a party can't count on happening

more than once in a generation at most - Obama won his US Senate election that year and was already the most coveted Democratic politician for fundraisers/campaign rallies during the 2006 midterms.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

37. There's always Michelle.

[spooky3]

54. I knew someone who worked for her and said there was NO WAY she would run

for political office because she disliked the life so badly, even though she is obviously very skilled at it. Everything I've seen reported since then has been consistent with that position.

[mr715]

58. Sadly,

I think she isn't interested.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

86. Yeah, too bad... Michelle would be a shoe-in.

[Prairie_Seagull]

99. Further, I think President Obama knows better than to nudge her one bit.

He would be possibly the only person who could make this happen.

At what personal cost.

I would not want her pissed at me.

[Prairie_Seagull]

100. Maybe our new Chicagoan Pope could could have a word.

I know, I know. Aint going to happen.

Maybe this is my new happy place though.

[elocs]

16. It's imperative for Democrats to win in '28. Pick a safe but exciting straight, white male candidate.

And we have those kind of qualified candidates. Reality may suck, but it is what it is.

[brush]

80. Rep. Jamie Raskin comes to mind, but IIRC a Congressmen becoming...

a presidential candidate hasn't happened before...at least in the last several decades.

[Raven123]

3. Heck, I am just trying to get through the 2026 midterms

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Focus on this. Biden built on the Blue Wave of 2018. Make a Blue Storm Surge of 2026

It can be used for investigations and to block election chicanery from RepubliCONNERs.

[Freddie]

4. I'm afraid this is correct

The country is simply not ready for a woman president. Maybe in my grandchildren’s lifetimes. We need to win, whatever it takes. If being “safe” makes a difference, then do it.

[Shrek]

32. I disagree

The country was ready in 2016, as evidenced by raw vote totals in favor of HRC.

[Polybius]

64. Clinton would have won outright in 2008

Then we may have gotten 8 years of Obama anyway.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

38. I completely disagree... can name 3 excellent women as potential candidates in 3 seconds!!

[Polybius]

66. AOC for sure

There are many others, of course.

[SheltieLover]

76. She might win in NY, but she would never carry swing states, imo

[Cosmocat]

85. I personally like AOC a lot

she has the heart of a lion, and is super smart and dynamic.

But, she would never win POTUS.

I am in PA, and can say with absolute certainty that after the Rs hate campaign against her kicked in she would would lose by double digits.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

87. That's one!!

[DFW]

73. A correct, but incomplete statement

We have several excellent women and POC, with some overlap, who could win the nomination with a snap of the fingers.

The trouble is that in the general election, not just Democrats vote and not all Democrats vote. If there is no crossover at all, we lose. The Republicans faced that same issue last time, and acted accordingly. They got the crossover and won. They are counting on us to not have learned anything.

[Bettie]

97. The problem isn't' the women

it is the many, many people in this country whose primary value is misogyny, followed closely by racism.

[JanMichael]

6. If that's what happens it happens.

If it takes another white male candidate then so be it. At least we have had the first nonwhite President and Vice President who just happened to be a woman.

[Ars Longa]

48. Who do you think she is referring to?

I would guess:
Sen Chris Murphy
Gov Andy Beshear

Not Newsome i hope...

[Bluestocking]

7. Just a person that has an X and Y chromosome

and identifies as a man. Is a Christian. Does not matter what color. I actually think a black man would be our best shot. Let Trump run again so Obama can have a third and fourth term.

[elocs]

19. You're assuming that Obama would run again, an assumption I think is in doubt.

But we need a safe and electable straight male candidate.

[mr715]

8. Shamed

I just want to win.

So much harm has been done so fast. It can be reversed, but we need to win.

That should be the first and final calculus.

[elocs]

10. It is imperative that Democrats win in '28 & that means picking the candidate most likely to win.

So how have our female candidates done: 0/2
Blacks: 1/2 (Obama is Black but he was also a moderate.)
Our candidate in '28 needs to be perceived as a moderate, but only if you want to win.
If that's not your concern, then nominate the most flaming Liberal possible. Republicans will appreciate that. Their choice for the Democratic candidate would be a multi racial trans woman and I could see Democrats actually doing that because it would be so ground breaking which is more important to many than actually winning the presidency.

[Earl_from_PA]

12. Obama had a clear message

Sí, se puede resonated. McCain/Palin had no clear message, just the status quo.
Incumbent parties are subject to current public opinion, if they don't have a clear message, it spells trouble. re Hillary and Kamala.
The incumbent's challenger has the responsibility of a clear message. The American electorate are fickle, they don't fear change, they just need to hear the message.

[elocs]

14. And Obama was a moderate, not perceived as a lefty liberal. He was NOT a Bernie Sanders.

We need to be practical and logical, playing it safe to win back the White House in '28.

[MichMan]

40. Only once in my lifetime has a party won three presidential elections in a row

Any of the Democratic candidates in 2008 would have been favored to win over McCain. Likewise, odds were against Hillary in 2016 for the same reason. Based on history, voters seem to want to make a change every 8 years.

[markodochartaigh]

77. In 2007 the economy was crashing.

And Bush the Second had been president for 8 years. The Republicans owned it. It looked like it would be a very bad, very long recession and that a huge amount of government stimulus would be required. I don't think that the Republicans wanted to win. They picked their weakest candidate and he picked an extremely weak running mate who brought in absolutely no one who wasn't going to vote for Republicans anyway.

[GulfofMexico]

93. It was "imperative" for the Democrats to win in 2024 . . .

Instead, Biden failed to do the right thing and announce, early, that he would not seek a second term. Had he done so, the party could have run a standard primary season, found a candidate (Harris/Walz should have won anyway, of course) who was unaffiliated with the Biden administration, a candidate who would have won. That's all it would have taken to have avoided this entire mess.

But just like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Biden failed to do what was best for the country and the party, and the results in the Supreme Court and in the country have been catastrophic, plain and simple.

[elocs]

111. '24 has come and gone so its being imperative is irrelevant now.

Biden knew his own limitations but didn't want to admit to them. He chose to make 2 trips to Europe before the 1st debate and was jet-lagged and then woke up with a bad cold 2 days before the debate. It was choices and consequences.
I've voted for over 50 years now, voting in nearly every election with 1 simple rule: I vote for the Democratic or Liberal candidate with no voting for any 3rd party nonsense. Here in Wisconsin in '16, Jill Stein received more votes that Trump's margin of victory because so many Democrats figured Hillary had the state in the bag.

[BComplex]

11. I'm sorry, but Kamala Harris won this election. It was rigged: Trump said so ahead of time, he said Musk told him so,

afterward trump admitted that, Musk's son told the world so.

We elected the first woman in Kamala Harris. We elected the first Black Woman in Kamala Harris. This country's voters aren't as stupid as the republicans wish we were.

And I take exception to Rep. Crockett's words: If someone had said "let's pin our hopes on the safest Black girl", there would have been a serious riot. We need to get way past this kind of put down language of any democrat. The media does enough of that belittling of good people to last a lifetime.

We need the most competent person for the job. We had that in Kamala Harris. We had the "safest white boy" in Tim Walz. We just didn't have a safe election, which is the whole point.

[SheltieLover]

13. Kamala absolutely won. It's not how people vote, but who counts the votes.

Fleaon.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

39. Zero doubt!!

[SheltieLover]

45. ...

[Doodley]

51. Can you explain why Trump's the worst thing to happen to America in recent history and yet Democrats are polling behind?

I don't see evidence we are ahead now, and therefore think we weren't for the election.

[taxi]

55. Kamala and Tim was a great ticket.

This is the ticket we need to expand on, not shrink away from. They are the clear cut winners that we needed to lead this country, and for any of us to accept less is to surrender. Let's stop playing this stupid game of competing by the republicans rulebook.

[Ferrets are Cool]

62. This

[Kaleva]

82. A lot of Democrats would have had to have aided in that

Democrat SOS Benson of Mi certified Trumps win as legitimate.

And the folks who say it was stolen aren’t making any effort to prove their case in xourt

[BComplex]

92. I disagree. I don't think Democrats actually "aided" in making trump president. I just think they were

too embarrassed to claim the election was "stolen" because of the fuss that the republicans had made the election before. They made a fool out of the saying the election was stolen. They successfully made the whole thing a clown show. Democrats were stuck. I think they still are.

[EdmondDantes_]

17. I don't think it has to be a white guy

It should be someone who has a clear message and plan on how to start fixing things. I can think of several potential candidates who I think would fit that, some like Pete Buttigieg or Josh Shapiro are white men (although both have obvious minority sides in sexual orientation and religion), but others like Gretchen Whitmer and Wes Moore aren't.

I don't think playing it "safe" is what we need. Neither Clinton or Obama were traditional candidates. And while Biden was a traditional candidate, the 2020 election with covid was an outlier election. We generally have a popular vote edge, but a systemic disadvantage in the electoral college at this time. We need a candidate who can inspire those who don't always turn out, who can push us into states we've lost ground in. Playing it safe doesn't do that.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

41. Play it safe is not gonna cut it...a progressive fighter who touches the hearts and minds of the American people will!!

[Chemical Bill]

21. A safe choice won't help in the face of Republican cheating.

Corporate media sanewashes Trump and pronounced Biden as too old. Biden's accomplishments lost airtime to Trump's complaints. And Faux, et al, lie. Just like the podcasters and TicToc influencers.

States with (gerrymandered) Republican legislatures have made it too easy to challenge voters. It's too easy to make inner city voters wait in line for hours, while rich suburban voters have plenty of machines to vote on.

[anamnua]

22. The following boxes will have to be ticked:

Male.
Christian.
Centrist.
White.
Straight.
Age under 70.

It would be great if we lived in an America where, to paraphrase Martin Luther King, the content of a candidate's character was the only criterion that counted. Unfortunately we don't and our strategy will have to be firmly grounded on that reality. A candidate with the above attributes who has enlightened views on race and gender issues etc is probably as good as it's going to get for the foreseeable future.

[RandySF]

28. I think

we should pay attention to Tuesday's Omaha mayoral election.

[Turbineguy]

29. Republicans are not the only people who can go backwards.

[multigraincracker]

30. There are no "white" democrats in the running.

Only various shades of grayish pink. Not one “black” democrat, only shades of tan to darker brown.
The world is not in black and white, only shades of gray.
That’s just how I feel about it. Let’s just run the best person. I’ll vote and donate.

[Morbius]

31. Playing it safe will result in a loss.

It did in 2004, when John Kerry looked like the safe choice. He got labelled "Bush Light". Winning elections in the age of television requires picking someone who's charismatic, who commands attention, who is not boring and who is definitely not "safe". Sadly, I think winning elections in this era also requires a penis, but that doesn't mean choosing someone safe.

[anamnua]

42. He lost because he was 'swiftboated'. NT

[Morbius]

49. I will grant the "Swiftboating" didn't help.

But the truth is that Kerry lost because he never used a sentence when he could insert a paragraph. John Kerry is a brilliant man; he has been the best Secretary of State in my lifetime. But he never mastered the sound bite. He's not charismatic. The smart viewer would immediately see him as a superior candidate, but that leaves out half the country.

John Kerry was Swiftboated, but he lost because he got outcampaigned.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

43. 100+

[Polybius]

67. So how did Biden win in 2020?

Was Trump just so unpopular that any safe candidate could have beaten him in?

[WhiteTara]

33. Please not Newsom!

[SheltieLover]

47. No, but Pritzger would be phenomenal!

[WhiteTara]

53. agreed

[SheltieLover]

56. Obv, not my choice to make, bug I feel it's critical to have a candidate

with the broadest possible appeal to drav in independents. Jmo.

Would I love to see a woman president? Absoloutely, but I think we all know there are far too many incels in our country for that to be "allowed."

We need a big win!

[NoMoreRepugs]

36. Lets HOPE we even have a Presidential election in 2028.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

44. Now THERE'S something to think about!!

[Kingofalldems]

46. Looks like low key 'Bad Things About Democrats' from here.

[AZProgressive]

50. I don't think it is a good idea

We should have the best candidate no matter their identity like Obama. I think in 2024 limiting our options for VP to only white males wasn't a great idea even though I like Tim Walz.

As far as federal office candidates I think AOC is the best but there may be a good governor that is popular may have a good chance but limiting our options based on identity isn't the best way going forward.

[Historic NY]

52. We better not re-run 2024

[pnwest]

57. I think it's a matter of giving the people what they want. If that's who they will support...

...on a Democratic ticket as an acceptable alternative to Trumpism - give it to 'em. Small steps.

I hate it, but isn't the bridge of working together built on compromise?

[Renew Deal]

60. Race and safety are the wrong things to focus on.

A winning candidate will be someone with vision and the willingness to take bold action.

[PeterIsMyBrother]

61. Too obvious

[jalan48]

65. Will diversity be important in a Vichy government?

[Polybius]

68. If Jasmine Crockett believes that, she is more than welcome to try and run herself in 2028

It would certainly make the debates interesting, at least.

[JCMach1]

69. No, the person who is going to win...

There MIGHT be a new Clinton put there, but there might also be an Obama, or charismatic woman politician (an Ocasio Cortez, or better) who knows at this point.

[Ms. Toad]

70. We should no more be looking for the "safest white boy" than we should be specifically looking for someone who is

young, female, minority.

We need to look for the best candidate. That requires a whole collection of characteristics: ability to win, commitment to progressive values, ability to work with a Congress which is not guaranteed to be supportive, charisma, etc.

The minute you say that candidate must be (safe, white, male, female, straight, gay, young, etc.) you toss out the next Obama.

[Jack Valentino]

71. Quite possibly on a 'white boy', or at least a 'boy'...

Yeah, that sucks, but that is where we are at, IMHO

but as far as "safest" goes, I'm not down with that......

Hillary Clinton chose the "safest" running mate in 2016...
I thought she needed an African-American, especially coming after President Obama,
but no one seemed to "get" that....


I think we need a fiery progressive now,
who will say things that we already know the vast majority of people agree with,
according to polling....


Chuck Schumer isn't on my list, obviously....

[betsuni]

79. "I'd vote for the safest white boy, just not THAT safest white boy."

I don't know, whoever they are they'll be nitpicked and bashed to hell and back about being too much of this and not enough that, called a centrist old capitalist by the Left and a socialist soft on crime by the Right; whatabout the thing he said that one time, purity tests, OMG they had a fundraiser in an elitist wine cave once and ate a slice of foie gras, the same old lies about corruption and not yell-fighting and not standing up to and ignoring the working class and both sides and nicknames with "genocide" or "killer," conspiracy theories and made-up scandals... It never ends.

[elocs]

81. IF there are elections in '28. That is remarkably hopeful for the pessimistic DU.

I don't come here for hope and most of the time I'm not disappointed.

[Scrivener7]

83. I hate it, but yes.

[Buckeyeblue]

88. I'm for whoever makes it through the primary

Race/gender doesn't matter. Hillary made it through the primary and won the most votes in the general election.

[Javaman]

89. how about we just focus on having a mid term election right now? nt

I still have my doubts that there will be another election.

[lindysalsagal]

90. christian, married straight white guy

save the world while we still can.

I'm hoping it's Senator Chris Murphy from CT. No worries: They'll elect a dem in the senate to replace him.

[Iris]

91. Whether we like it or not, Trump is revolutionary

We need to match that energy.

[travelingthrulife]

94. I would go for Chris Murphy in a heartbeat. I think the important thing is we not exclude

anyone who would be a good President.

It is sad that this country is so backwards.

[ecstatic]

95. I've spent so much money supporting women candidates

Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Stacey Abrams in Georgia. I'll support whoever we nominate but it's scary. After Hillary, I realized that this country is a lot more backwards than I thought.

Last year, Americans allegedly voted for the same republican party that overturned women's rights. Women are currently unable to make medical decisions in many states, and apparently most voters, including a large number of women, were either onboard with that or too fucking stupid to understand how that could bite them in the ass. What can you do with that shit?

By the way, I understand that a significant percentage of votes were strategically tossed, purged or prevented, giving republicans the edge, but this is the state of "elections" in this country and we have to be able to work around it or stop it from happening.

[everyonematters]

96. No, they don't have to do that, but what we should not do is nominate someone who is polarizing.

We have to be competitive with independents.

[Ping Tung]

98. "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." John Quincy Adams

[Scrivener7]

104. This time we need to vote to win at all costs. My principle right now is to save our Democracy from these fascists.

[Happy Hoosier]

102. Not a fan of that kind of dismissive language....

Rep Crockett needs to step the fuck back.

[Scrivener7]

103. Rep Crockett is one of our best voices these days. So no, she doesn't.

[Happy Hoosier]

105. I like her. But if she's looking to aleinate people like me, she's succeeding.

If you don't care, by all means continue. But we will continue to lose.

[Scrivener7]

106. The words "white boy" have alienated you, and therefore we'll lose?

And therefore one of the best voices against fascism in our Congress should "step back?"

And did you miss the fact that she was saying that people want to be safe and find someone to run who looks just like you because too many people are alienated when it's not a white boy?

[JI7]

107. If a "White Boy" had campaigned like Kamala

and done as well as her in the debate we would have won.

We need to deal in reality. Trump's support is mostly for his anti diversity and anti immigration agenda.

A non white man would have to be something like Obama.

[Scrivener7]

108. This. A disturbing amount of sexism and racism is coming from inside the house.

I hate it, but it's true.

[TheFarseer]

109. The power brokers need to stay out of this

Let the people decide. The big wigs have at least put their thumb on the scale the last 3 elections. Let the primary play out and let’s see who our most popular candidate is.

[stillcool]

110. If they want to get the white-boy votes

in red states by all means.