EENY, MEENY, MINY, MOE ... SOME OF THE 2028 DEMOCRATIC HOPEFULS

Scathing WSJ op-ed explains why Democrats 'have already lost the 2028 election'

 

By Stephen M. Lepore 

 

Daily Mail

Feb 18, 2026

 

 

The Democrats have a 'lackluster' field of candidates to choose from, including Stephen A. Smith (pictured) and Kamala Harris, potentially condemning them to a loss in the 2028 presidential election over two years early

 

The Democrats have a 'lackluster' field of presidential candidates to choose from, potentially condemning them to a loss in the 2028 election, a columnist warns. 

While no candidate has declared their intention to run, longshot candidate and ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith admitted he is giving it 'strong consideration' in an interview on Sunday.

Matthew Continetti believes Smith's presence shows that the Democrats have already thrown the race to whomever will succeed Donald Trump for the GOP in 2028.

The conservative pundit listed several names of Democrat contenders and said every one of them 'has weaknesses,' citing polling data in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. 

He calls out Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom as the favorites and slammed them for being more of the same.  

'Ms. Harris would again have to defend a Biden administration that voters repudiated after four years,' Continetti wrote.

He also made fun of her new campaign content hub, 'Headquarters,' calling it 'cringe-worthy.'

While he suggests California Governor Newsom 'has perfected the art of anti-Trump trolling,' his governing record makes him vulnerable. 

 

Matthew Continetti believes that ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith's presence in the race shows that the Democrats have already thrown the race to whomever will succeed Donald Trump for the GOP in 2028

 

'He’s also spent two decades making the Golden State into a progressive petri dish of high taxes, stultifying regulations and woke culture,' the writer said.

Continetti is no more favorable to the rest of the field, calling out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's amateur hour appearance at the Munich Security Conference. 

He also notes that the Democrat Party's drift into her brand of socialism 'raises troubling questions about the party's future.' 

'A radicalized base, animated by anti-Trump resistance, may be an asset in special and midterm elections. But open borders, social disorder and transgender ideology have hurt Democrats in presidential years. They will do so again if unchecked.' 

Because of these flawed potential candidates, the opening may be there for Smith to jump into the fray. 

'Mock Stephen A. Smith all you like. He may never make it to the debate stage. But others with little or no political experience will surely be tempted. And in today’s media environment, what begins on the fringe often turns into the main event,' Continetti wrote.

Smith spoke to CBS Sunday Morning in a one-on-one interview with chief Washington analyst Robert Costa.

In that discussion, Smith revealed that he has been mulling over a potential run for the highest office in the land.

 

Continetti calls out Kamala Harris and Gavin Newsom (pictured) as the favorites and slammed them for being more of the same

Continetti is no more favorable to the rest of the field, calling out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's amateur hour appearance at the Munich Security Conference

 

'I will confess to you, I'm giving strong consideration to being on that debate stage for 2027,' Smith told Costa - who shared a quote from the interview to his X account on Friday.

Smith indicated that he would be running for the Democratic Party nomination: 'I've got this year coming up 2026, to think about it, to study, to know the issues.'

While 'First Take' and a national political debate stage are two wildly different mediums for the sharing of ideas, Smith certainly has plenty of experience making his case in front of an audience.  

He's known for being entrenched in his opinions on sports and, likely, will act the same way when it comes to politics.

Smith has briefly teased the idea - including the day after the 2024 election - but the concept has received mixed reviews on social media.

However, he does have at least one person who believes a run would be worth while: President Donald Trump. 

'I love watching him. He's got great entertainment skills, which is very important,' Trump said of Smith during a NewsNation town hall.

'People watch him. You know, a lot of these Democrats I watch, I say they have no chance. I've been pretty good at picking people and picking candidates. And I will tell you, I'd love to see him run.'