Who are the rising stars in the Democratic party? | US news

Beshear, the son of a popular former Kentucky governor, has won three statewide elections in the red state — once for attorney general and twice as governor. He responded to the Democrats’ defeat in the 2024 election by writing in The New York Times that they can win back voters by focusing on core issues — good jobs, affordable health care, education, public safety, and good roads and bridges. He’s president-elect of the Democratic Governors Association for 2026 — which means he will take on A leading role in efforts to win state governorships in the midterm elections.

Buttigieg speaks eight languages, spent stints at Harvard, Oxford and McKinsey universities, and did military service in Afghanistan. He won the 2020 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses and was praised for his networking skills and ability to connect with voters, especially on the conservative Fox News network. The Indiana native recently became an A.J Michigan resident. But some Democrats may question whether America is ready to elect its first openly gay president.

Despite her bitter loss, Harris remains a contender. Her defenders say she was hampered by the inheritance of the Biden campaign just 107 days ago, noting that she is still close to 1.5% of Trump in the election. National popular vote. They also point to the experience she gained running a national campaign. Critics point out that it failed despite spending more than $1 billion, and that defeated Democrats tend not to get a second chance. Combined with Hillary Clinton’s loss in 2016, the party may be wary of nominating another woman too soon.

The first black governor of Maryland is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. Moore is an Army veteran, a Rhodes Scholar and the former CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity that addresses poverty in New York. Supporters say he has the natural charisma that enables him to run in a credible presidential election. But in August, Moore claimed he had “honest mistake” In his failure to correct his White House fellowship application 18 years ago when he wrote that he had been awarded a Bronze Star for his military service in Afghanistan even though he never received it.

Murphy has been a senator since 2013 and is active in several policy areas, particularly health care, foreign policy and gun safety legislation, which was spurred by the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Murphy has gained attention through emotional speeches on the Senate floor and live sharing on social media. After the crushing defeat suffered by the Democrats in November chirp: “It’s time to rebuild the left. We are far from the crisis of meaning/purpose that fuels MAGA. We refuse to pick big fights. Our tent is too small.”

As governor of California, Newsom is known for his progressive policies on climate change, health care, gun control, and criminal justice reform. With his sharp tongue and televised looks, Newsom has built a national image as the top alternative to Biden and by challenging Trump and, in a televised debate in 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He will tap into a powerful fundraising network and take steps to position himself as a leader of the anti-Trump resistance. Trump described him as “Governor Gavin Newcomb” while DeSantis described him as “a shrewd and devious politician whose country is failing.”

Ocasio-Cortez, a founding member of the House Progressives “squad,” is the political heir to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who emboldened the party’s left wing in the 2016 and 2020 primaries. But she has recently proven her loyalty to the party leadership and has been a staunch supporter of Biden and Harris. Supporters praise her star power, her mastery of social media, and her ability to connect with working-class voters — though Republicans will relish the opportunity to paint her as a radical socialist.

Polis is America’s first openly gay governor. columnist George Will noted that Polis’s sexuality was “interestingly uninteresting” to voters in the 2018 gubernatorial election. The former five-term congressman has received more attention for the wealth he built as a tech entrepreneur and his libertarian streak: He has broken with other Democrats during the Covid pandemic – 19 by rolling back mask and vaccine mandates. Colorado violated National trend He moved largely to the left in the 2024 elections.

Pritzker, the billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel chain with strong fundraising abilities, is working to “immunize” his country from Trump. warning“You come for my people, and you come through me.” As governor, he signed legislation raising the minimum wage to $15 as well as several reproductive rights bills. He has built relationships through his national nonprofit, but his wealth could serve as an Achilles’ heel among Democrats seeking to embrace economic populism.

With a history of winning three statewide elections in Pennsylvania, Shapiro was seen as a potential candidate for Harris but lost to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Shapiro is already receiving phone calls from Democratic Party leaders in Pennsylvania urging him to run for the White House. POLITICO I mentioned. Critics on the left are concerned about his support for the private school voucher program and the Israeli war in Gaza. If elected, he will be America’s first Jewish president.

Warnock championed progressive policies such as expanding health care, environmental protection, and voting rights. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college and became the head pastor of the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King preached. An inspiring orator, he often highlights his upbringing in poverty and his journey to becoming a… The first black senator He was elected from conservative Georgia. He once said: “My story is only possible in America.”

Whitmer has a successful record in a swing state and gained national attention in 2020 when she feuded with Trump over federal COVID-19 aid and survived a botched kidnapping attempt. Trump called her “that woman from Michigan.” said Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State NBC News“People love her, even if they disagree with her. She has that unique combination of determination and grace — a workhorse who truly cares about people and never backs down from a fight. She has what it takes to bring people together and lead our country.”