Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel appears to be teasing a 2028 presidential run, urging reforms to a Democratic Party he described as “weak and woke” in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Emanuel blasted the current Democratic platform as “toxic,” arguing party leaders need to get back to basics rather than getting dragged into unpopular cultural debates. Emanuel is one of many names in Democratic circles who has been floated as a potential 2028 candidate, alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg.
“If you want the country to give you the keys to the car, somebody’s got to be articulating an agenda that’s fighting for America, not just fighting Trump,” Emanuel said. “The American dream has become unaffordable. It’s inaccessible. And that has to be unacceptable to us.”
Emanuel recently returned to the U.S. after serving as U.S. ambassador to Japan under President Joe Biden’s administration. In addition to serving as Chicago mayor, Emanuel also worked as President Barack Obama’s White House chief of staff and served in Congress representing Illinois.
LESS THAN 4 MONTHS INTO TRUMP’S 2ND TERM, DEMS ARE ALREADY EYEING THE 2028 RACE
The longtime Democratic insider also argued that U.S. education needs to be more focused on meeting high standards than proliferating social doctrine.
“I’m empathetic and sympathetic to a child trying to figure out their pronoun, but it doesn’t trump the fact that the rest of the class doesn’t know what a pronoun is,” he said.
So far, no Democrats have openly declared their intentions to run for president in 2028, though several have toyed with the idea. Walz told reporters that he would do “whatever it takes” to run if he is “asked to serve.”
Similarly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has said he “would consider” a White House bid.
Buttigieg has also played coy about his all but certain intentions to run, telling Fox News after a town hall appearance in Iowa that, “Right now I’m not running for anything.”
LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Other likely 2028 Democratic candidates include California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
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