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Democrats Escalate Shadow Primary as Buttigieg Weighs 2028 Run

Potential Democratic contenders ramp up battleground state visits, while Pete Buttigieg signals interest in another White House bid during Iowa town hall.

Pete Buttigieg, former transportation secretary, takes the stage during a VoteVets town hall, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 13, 2025.
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks during a VoteVets Town Hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday.
FILE - Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testifies to a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Committee hearing, May 2, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Buttigieg returns to Iowa Tuesday for an event focused on veterans, six years after he burst onto the national political stage with a strong run in the state's leadoff presidential caucuses. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
The audience applauds for former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Overview

  • Pete Buttigieg returned to Iowa for a VoteVets town hall, his first public political event since leaving the Biden administration, fueling speculation about a 2028 presidential run.
  • Buttigieg stated he is in the early stages of assessing whether to run, emphasizing the need to balance family considerations and his political vision.
  • Other Democratic figures, including Wes Moore, Ruben Gallego, and Tim Walz, are actively engaging in early-primary states to test their national appeal and policy messages.
  • Democratic strategists highlight the shadow primary as a contest of effectiveness against Republican policies rather than strict ideological alignment.
  • On the Republican side, prospective candidates are holding off on early moves, with strategists advising deference to Donald Trump’s dominance within the party.