The reboot: Democrats pick up the pieces for 2028

The Democrats were a party of lost ambition and lost hope a year ago, following the loss of the 2024 presidential election. Now, going into the 2026 midterms, they are looking the strongest they have been in 18 months. This is not a coincidence. It is the result of a definitive effort from the Democratic Party in the United States to capitalise and successfully market themselves on the many mistakes made by Republicans since Trump retook office.

In the last hours of the evening on 5 November 2024, the 2024 presidential election was officially lost by the Democrats. The Democratic candidate in the 2024 election, Kamala Harris gave her concession speech on 6 November, hours after Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan were all called in Trump’s favour.

“Hear me when I say, the light of America’s promise will always burn bright. As long as we never give up, and as long as we keep fighting,” Harris had said from a platform at Howard University (her alma mater) at the time. The mood at the speech was fraught with tension as Harris sought to reconcile her loss for the national audience and loyal supporters who had been with her throughout her campaign.

The front runner in terms of carving out space to disagree publicly with Donald Trump has been Gavin Newsom

Her running mate, Tim Walz, and her husband Doug Emhoff were present as she spoke of an entirely peaceful transfer of power to President Elect Trump.

Harris has since campaigned to put herself back on the political map and at the front of voters’ minds going into 2028. The front-runner in terms of carving out space to disagree publicly with Donald Trump has been Gavin Newsom. The California Governor has gained widespread acclaim across recent years for being unabashed in taking the fight more directly to President Trump.

Newsom has been in the political scene for over a decade, being elected mayor of San Francisco on two occasions, before being cast as Lieutenant Governor of California in 2011 and holding the position for eight years until 2019. Newsom has had a relatively unique ability to galvanise the largely apathetic Democratic base and get them excited about the prospect of a future beyond Trump. He also has a strong aptitude for reading the cultural moment and pursuing a media strategy that is more focused on conversing with younger voters on the platforms they’re comfortable with, namely audio-visual content in the form of podcasts.

Fresh out of a year in the wilderness, Harris has made a miraculous return to the political stage with her new book tour

Joining the mix as a far younger, fresher face is Alexandra Ocasio Cortez (AOC), a 36-year-old Democratic United States Representative from the Bronx. She rose to national prominence after defeating incumbent Joe Crowley in what was a historic upset for New York’s fourteenth Congressional District seat in 2018. However, after attending the Munich Security Conference this week there has been doubt raised as to whether AOC would be the strongest candidate to lead the Democrats, after struggling to come up with a firm foreign policy vision for the United States.

Of course, there is Kamala Harris herself. Fresh out of a year in the wilderness, Harris has made a miraculous return to the political stage with her new book tour. 107 Days is a sharp insight into how the Vice President’s political campaign was run and the people who kept the fight against President Trump going. However, more than this, it is a campaign and a promotion to put Harris back on the political map after her election defeat in 2024.

There is a strong concern as to whether Harris could court the same support at the same level as some of the other candidates. There is a wedge between the party elites for the Democrats and average voters – particularly black voters – who believe Harris is still a strong candidate. She has still managed to retain a lot of clout with the Democratic party, who greeted her warmly as she traversed the nation flanked by book copies.

A graduate from both the Universities of Harvard and Oxford, Buttigieg seems almost overqualified for the position after what it has been reduced to under the current president

A final name that keeps recurring in the running for 2028 is Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg is seen by many as the candidate that holds value in his interactions with voters. He also has a more down-to-earth background than a lot of the other candidates. Buttigieg previously served as secretary for transportation under President Joe Biden and has made a name for himself after the end of the former president’s term last year.

A graduate from both the Universities of Harvard and Oxford, Buttigieg seems almost overqualified for the position after what it has been reduced to under the current president. Although, there is one area where the former transportation secretary is trailing behind – that is, support among minority voters. A poll from Emerson college in June of last year showed Buttigieg significantly underperforming with black voters, compared to other candidates like Harris or Newsom. Unless his time can come up with a ‘good fix,’ it seems that he could fall off on a list with some of the other heavy hitters in what will be a messy Democratic primary.

So, where does that leave Democrats now? As we reach the halfway point of Trump’s second term, they are… picking up the pieces. Looking at the scattered remnants of the party at the end of 2024, they have used time to try and learn lessons about what works and what does not. And as of 2025, they have had success: New York’s new Mayor being a prime example.

However, it will not be easy. It is a fight that will be won with both the heart and the mind – a 2028 race where the whole country will be watching.