Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) confirmed that he is thinking about running for president in 2028, adding that the country was “finally going to get a new generation on both parties.”
During an interview on MS NOW’s The Weeknight, co-host Symone Sanders asked Khanna if he was thinking about running for president. Khanna responded with “yes,” adding that 2028 would be about which candidate “has the best vision for the future” of the United States.
“Are you at least thinking about running for president, sir?” Sanders asked.
“Yes, I’m thinking about it,” Khanna responded. “Look, we had a election where we had fresh, new people, bold ideas come out. The one good news is 2028 is not going to be an electability election. It’s not going to be election pundits and nerds figuring out what candidate fits ChatGPT to win one swing district or one swing state. Because what we saw is people of all different ideologies in our party, of all different backgrounds, won. So, 2028 is going to be, who has the best vision for the future of this nation.”
Khanna continued to share that he feels there are “a lot of great candidates” in the Democratic Party who “have different ideas.”
“I think it’s going to be wonderful, cathartic for this country after three 80-year-old presidents, we’re finally going to get a new generation on both parties, offering a vision of how to move America forward,” Khanna continued. “I’m excited about it.”
Khanna’s confirmation that he is thinking about running for president comes after “the leaders of a new draft committee” told NBC News that they were launching a group called “Run Ro” to “lay groundwork” for Khanna to mount a presidential campaign.
The committee was reported to be co-chaired by former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Nomiki Konst, a “progressive strategist.”
Per NBC News, the committee “can raise money from donors and begin building support for a Khanna candidacy”:
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and progressive strategist Nomiki Konst are co-chairs of the group — “Run Ro” — which can raise money from donors and begin building support for a Khanna candidacy while he continues to weigh a 2028 bid.
The move comes in the immediate aftermath of a midterm election in which voters swept Democrats into power in the House and the Senate, with some high-profile progressives among the big winners. It also comes as the party’s left wing looks for a new champion who can run in the progressive lane that Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., occupied in the 2016 and 2020 presidential nominating contests.
In August, during an interview on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria, Khanna shared that he was “considering” a presidential run.
“I’m considering it, and I’ll tell you why,” Khanna said at the time. “I’ll tell you why, because I understand the future economy, and I see that it’s only working for a few, and I want it to work for people who I grew up with.”
