Beshear, Raimondo, Gabbard keep door open to running for president in 2028

(WASHNINGTON) -- It's been less than six months since the 2024 presidential election, but for some Democrats and Republicans, it's not too early to plan for the race for the White House in 2028.

Three high-profile Democratic governors, one former Democratic Cabinet member and one Republican Cabinet member weighed in last week when questioned if they will run for president in 2028. Some did not rule out a run.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, said on Thursday that he would consider running for president if he felt he was someone who could successfully unite the country.

"If you'd asked me a couple years ago if this is something I'd consider, I probably wouldn't have. But I don't want to leave a broken country to my kids. And so if I'm somebody that can bring this nation together, hopefully find some common ground, it's something I'll consider," Beshear told local station WDRB on Thursday.

Beshear rose to national prominence after his statewide gubernatorial wins in a Republican-leaning state and was among those considered to become Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate in 2024.

However, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, another Democrat who was considered a potential Harris running mate and who has received praise from some as a rising star within the party, said he's "not running" for president when asked on ABC's "The View" on Thursday.

"I am not running," Moore said, adding that he is "really excited about the work that's happening right now in the state of Maryland."

Moore's term as governor ends in 2026, and he could opt to run for a second term.

Moore, Maryland's first Black governor, had previously said he was not running, including in an interview with the Baltimore Sun in April. However, Moore's statement comes as he makes more national media and event appearances. He is set to headline the South Carolina Democratic Party's high-profile Blue Palmetto Dinner at the end of May.

Last week, former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who served under President Joe Biden, said she would consider running for president, responding with a direct "yes" when asked by political analyst David Axelrod at an event at the University of Chicago.

"The Democratic Party has a huge amount of work to do," she said. "Introspection ... where did we go wrong, what are our policies going to be, what is our platform going to be, what will our tactics be."

Raimondo, a former venture capitalist, said she has served the country for 15 years and that if there is a "big way" for her to serve again, "including running, I'll do it." But she offered a caveat: "If I thought somebody else would be better or better able to win, I'd get behind that person in a minute. ... For us to have a chance, it has to be just that right person at that right moment to make it happen."

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, recently said he was not thinking about a 2028 presidential run, and reiterated that position – “I’m not” – at an event last Monday at the Harvard Institute of Politics.

Asked why, Walz did not offer any specifics about his own decision but pointed again to his ethos of the teamwork he thinks should be shown among Democrats. “I think we, collectively as a party, and those elected officials, should be running this campaign, kind of like the old school mountain climbing expeditions,” Walz said. “You never knew who was going to summit. It was whoever was ready at the last moment. And on summit day, if somebody was in the best shape, push them to the top, and the whole team gets credit.”

Walz, however, recently went on a national town hall tour — which has sparked speculation about his political future-- and has spoken openly about reflections on his 2024 run.

On the Republican side, fewer names have been floated so far as 2028 presidential contenders. President Donald Trump has speculated about finding a way to run for a third term in office, which scholars say is barred by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. But in an interview with NBC News aired Sunday, he said he would be "a two-term president" and said he is not looking to run in 2028.

However, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who joined the Republican Party in 2024 after serving as a Democrat in Congress for several years, said in a podcast episode published Thursday that she would not rule out a future presidential bid.

Conservative journalist Megyn Kelly asked Gabbard if she has ruled out ever running again for president after her unsuccessful 2020 Democratic presidential bid, saying, "Could we potentially see a Tulsi 2028 try?"

"I will never rule out any opportunity to serve my country. ... My decisions in my life have always been made around how can I best be of service to God, how can I best be of service to our country," Gabbard said. "And that is what has led me here. I'm grateful for this opportunity, and I will continue to chase those opportunities where I can make the most positive impact and be of service."

Her remarks echoed some previous statements she made when under consideration for a presidential ticket.

Gabbard, who is Samoan American, in 2020 became the first woman of color to win a delegate to the Democratic National Convention since Shirley Chisholm in 1972. Four years later, though, in 2024, Gabbard was under consideration to become Trump's running mate.

The buzz around 2028 contenders continues as some other figures floated as potential 2028 presidential candidates, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, former Vice President Kamala Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, ramp up their public appearances and remarks.

Pritzker and Harris delivered high-profile speeches on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively, and Buttigieg is set to headline a town hall in Iowa later in May.

At the same time, some Democrats say the party's focus, as it regroups after its losses in 2024, needs to be on the 2026 midterm elections for the House of Representatives and the Senate -- not on 2028. The Republican Party currently has a trifecta with majorities in the House and the Senate and Trump in the White House.

"I mean, everybody is sort of out there trying to get the touch and the feel [of] like what is actually happening in the country and are the things that Trump is doing, which is now dropping his approval rating, really registering with people," 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said at a book talk in New York City on Thursday.

But she added later, "I think that there is going to be a lot of testing of the waters, but we won't know, really, who decides to run until probably after the midterms, which really underscores the most important message: We have to win the midterms."

ABC News' Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.

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