{"id":2410815,"date":"2025-03-07T04:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T09:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/statewide-campaigns-in-2026-likely-mean-forgoing-2028-presidential-runs-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-07T04:58:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T09:58:27","slug":"statewide-campaigns-in-2026-likely-mean-forgoing-2028-presidential-runs-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/statewide-campaigns-in-2026-likely-mean-forgoing-2028-presidential-runs-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Statewide campaigns in 2026 likely mean forgoing 2028 presidential runs &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fstatewide-campaigns-in-2026-likely-mean-forgoing-2028-presidential-runs-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2410815&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u200darticle \u200bdiscusses the potential impact of the 2026 midterm elections\u2062 on the 2028 presidential ambitions of various political\u2064 figures, notably former Vice \u200cPresident Kamala Harris.\u200d As the 2026 election \u200dapproaches,speculation surrounds weather Harris will run for \u200cthe governorship of california,wich could position her favorably for a presidential bid in 2028.\u2064 However,the piece highlights the risks associated with running for statewide office so close\u200b to a national election,noting historical\u2064 precedents that \u2062show how \u2062pursuing two electoral\u200d campaigns in quick succession can harm a candidate&#8217;s prospects for higher\u2063 office. <\/p>\n<p>It points out that many potential 2028 contenders are considering similar strategies, with some contemplating Senate \u2064runs in 2026. While winning a\u2064 statewide position could bolster their political \u200dstanding, it also carries the danger\u2062 of\u200d seeming to abandon the role for another campaign. The article explores several historical examples of past candidates who attempted this, suggesting that such choices do not always yield positive outcomes. it concludes that \u2063discretion may be \u2062wiser than boldness\u2063 when considering such \u2063a strategy, urging caution\u200c among those eyeing future presidential runs.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Campaigns for new statewide jobs in 2026 likely mean forgoing 2028 presidential runs<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1993150\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>With the 2026 election cycle approaching, speculation is reaching a fever pitch on whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kamala-harris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">former Vice President Kamala Harris<\/a> will run for the open <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">California<\/a> governorship. Analysts cite the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3334052\/california-republican-teams-democrat-reparations-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sacramento<\/a> perch, governing the nation&rsquo;s most populous state, as a political path for the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee to make another White House bid in 2028.<\/p>\n<p>While Harris&rsquo;s political circumstances are unique, she&rsquo;s hardly the only would-be 2028 presidential contender considering whether to position herself for a national bid by seeking statewide office in the 2026 midterm elections &mdash; and presumably actually wanting to do the job of governor or senator, or at least faking it pretty well.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3339935\/house-democrats-latino-heavy-districts-2026-frontline-list\/\">House Democrats&#8217; campaign arm adds Latino-heavy districts to 2026 &#8216;Frontline&#8217; list<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3339823\/doj-launches-antisemitism-probe-into-california-schools\/\">DOJ launches antisemitism investigation into California schools in sign of things to come<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3339305\/most-new-york-city-voters-want-ericadams-resign-cuomo-takes-primary-lead-poll\/\">Most New York City voters want Adams to resign as Cuomo takes commanding primary lead: Poll<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Yet history suggests this may not be a good idea. Instead, such a race could politically fatally damage their White House prospects in 2028, when President Donald Trump will be winding down his second, nonconsecutive term.<\/p>\n<p>At least three possible 2028 White House contenders are weighing their options for the Senate two years before. All would be feted for winning an important race in the 2026 cycle when Senate Republicans will be defending their 53-47 majority.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Republicans are heavily recruiting Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Due to state term limits, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) will leave office in January 2026, about 10 months before the midterm elections. Senate Republicans hope that, by then, he&rsquo;ll be challenging Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), while Senate Democrats want former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to run against Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). Other would-be 2028 presidential contenders have already turned down Senate runs, including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), and Tim Walz (D-MN), who was the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Then-Vice President Kamala Harris stands on stage with California Gov. Gavin Newsom at an event in California in 2021. (Carolyn Kaster\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There is a clear logic to running for a new, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michele-tafoya-blasted-by-media-elites-after-criticizing-critical-race-theory\/\" title=\"Michele Tafoya Blasted by Media Elites After Criticizing Critical ... Theory\">high-profile job<\/a>. It keeps the contender in the news.&nbsp;And if they win, it shows that they still have electoral juice.<\/p>\n<p>But history shows that this choice is a fraught one. The last presidential nominee to win a major electoral office and immediately turn around to successfully seek his party&rsquo;s presidential nomination two years later was Thomas Dewey, who was elected New York governor in 1942. In 1944, Republicans nominated Dewey to head the national ticket in what would be a losing bid to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.<\/p>\n<p>Still, by the time Dewey was elected governor of New York, he was a political veteran of sorts. After all, he had nearly nabbed the 1940 Republican presidential nomination as district attorney in Manhattan, making a name for himself as a mob-buster and all-around tough-on-crime prosecutor in the heart of New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Three other candidates pulled off comparably quick political promotions after two years running a state house. Woodrow Wilson won the 1912 presidential election after a two-year short stint as New Jersey governor. That echoed the previous Democratic president, Grover Cleveland, elected in 1884 after two years as New York governor. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawrence-w-reed-a-president-who-warned-americans-what-extravagant-federal-spending-would-do-to-character\/\" title=\"Lawrence W. Reed: A ... Who Warned Americans What Extravagant Federal Spending Would Do to Character\">previous chief executive<\/a> in Albany, Samuel Tilden, having held the governorship for approaching two years, was nominated for president by Democrats in 1876 but lost to Republican rival Rutherford B. Hayes.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-faces-political-wilderness-after-historic-loss-leaves-her-party-in-tatters-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"... faces political wilderness after historic loss leaves her party \u2018in tatters\u2019 ... Washington Examiner\">successful presidential nominees<\/a> have taken a different political path and run as private citizens, letting their performance in previous government positions speak for themselves. Late Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan both won the White House as former governors, of Georgia and California, respectively. Former President Joe Biden was a former vice president when he won the White House in 2020. As was the late President Richard Nixon in his 1968 win. The late Walter Mondale, too, was a former vice president when he nabbed the 1984 Democratic presidential nomination, only to lose in crushing fashion against the incumbent Reagan.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richard Nixon speaks to the press after he conceded defeat in the California gubernatorial election in Los Angeles on Nov. 7, 1962. He accused the media of treating him unfairly and told them, &ldquo;This is my last press conference.&rdquo; (AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Two relatively recent losing presidential nominees also sought the White House without holding a government job at the same time. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, was a former Massachusetts governor. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic standard-bearer, was years past her time on the public payroll as secretary of state and, before that, senator from New York.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections and 2028 presidential race, a prominent candidate with national ambitions would face a very tricky road running for new positions in back-to-back election cycles. The candidate would inevitably face criticism for immediately abandoning the new job, almost certainly skipping critical votes for a senator or being absent from leading their state as governor, to go on what is invariably a grueling multiyear quest for the White House.<\/p>\n<p>There is another bigger problem that is somewhat more basic &mdash; what happens if they lose the race? America appears to love a winner, and the flip side is that losing a race right before running for president may be a career killer.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, Nixon stands out here &mdash; in a situation that is eerily parallel to Harris&rsquo;s. In 1962, after eight years as vice president and then losing the ultra-close 1960 presidential election, Nixon made an unsuccessful bid for governor of California &mdash; at the time, a Republican state. The most enduring part of that desultory statewide bid came the day after the GOP nominee&rsquo;s loss, when he famously incorrectly declared, &ldquo;You won&rsquo;t have Dick Nixon to kick around anymore.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Nixon sat out the 1964 presidential race and then came back to win the 1968 Republican nomination and the White House that November. Before that, to find failed statewide candidates who went on to win a presidential nomination, you have to look way back to the days before primaries and caucuses. William Jennings Bryan lost a Nebraska Senate race before he got the first of three Democratic nominations starting in 1896. In the 19th&nbsp;century, future Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Abraham Lincoln lost Senate races before winning their party&rsquo;s nomination and the White House. So did John C. Fremont, the losing 1856 Republican nominee. However, each <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">race happened pre-17th&#038;nbsp<\/a>;Amendment, when state legislatures chose senators, not the people.<\/p>\n<p>Two others <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-cope-is-real-election-denier-stacey-abrams-refuses-to-admit-trump-win-was-a-seismic-shift\/\" title=\"The Cope Is Real: Election Denier Stacey Abrams Refuses to Admit Trump Win Was a &#039;Seismic Shift&#039;\">lost gubernatorial races<\/a> before winning a presidential nomination &mdash; future President James K. Polk, and Horatio Seymour, unsuccessful in his national bid as the 1868 Democratic nominee.<\/p>\n<p>Now, it&rsquo;s hard to imagine these six candidates from a time before airplanes and women getting the vote would provide much comfort for a prospective 2028 presidential contender.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3224128\/trump-great-realignment-political-reality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>THE GREAT REALIGNMENT: WHAT TRUMP&rsquo;S VICTORY MEANS FOR THE GOP COALITION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For Harris, a loss in the 2026 California gubernatorial race seems somewhat unlikely. Running as by far the most prominent Democrat in one of the bluest states in the country, she would be the overwhelming favorite to advance to the November ballot in the state&rsquo;s all-party primary and then nab the governorship, which Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will give up due to term limits. But the others are running in races in which they would be seen as having, at best, 50-50 odds of success in statewide bids, and in some cases, much less than that.<\/p>\n<p>A presidential run is almost always a long shot. Would running and winning a statewide race two years before make a positive difference in the odds? One of the famous clich&eacute;s of politics is that &ldquo;fortune favors the bold.&rdquo; However, in this case, being bold might not work well. Trying to win two offices in rapid succession, a different popular statement may work best &mdash; &ldquo;discretion is the better part of valor.&rdquo; Let&rsquo;s see which one these candidates choose.<\/p>\n<p><em>Joshua Spivak is a senior research fellow at UC Berkeley Law&rsquo;s California Constitution Center and a senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institution for Government Reform at Wagner College. He is the author of&nbsp;<\/em>Recall Elections: From Alexander Hamilton to Gavin Newsom<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1993150\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1993150\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2026 statewide job campaigns may hinder 2028 presidential bids<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3638,"featured_media":2410816,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/WB.Campaign1.031225.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[42974,32504,51704,51703,32076],"class_list":["post-2410815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-2026-elections","tag-political-strategy","tag-presidential-runs","tag-statewide-campaigns","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/WB.Campaign1.031225.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2410815"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2410819,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2410815\/revisions\/2410819"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2410816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2410815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2410815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2410815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}