The 2028 Democratic primary turns visible
With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco, Irie Sentner and Makayla Gray
On today’s Playbook Podcast: Adam and POLITICO’s Megan Messerly highlight the first big-ticket rivalry to emerge from the 2028 Democratic field, the U.S. and Iran’s tenuous ceasefire, and preview a critical meeting between GOP lawmakers and the White House today.
Happy Friday. It’s Adam Wren fresh off the midterm — or 2028?— campaign trail in Michigan and Ohio. One of my takeaways? Voters feel unheard. Get in touch.
FRIDAY LISTEN: Marjorie Taylor Greene sat down with Dasha for this week’s episode of “The Conversation,” where she continued her criticism of President Donald Trump after she stepped away from Congress. Though she declined to endorse any nominee for 2028, she noted she’s long supported JD Vance — and said he would be a better president than Trump right now.
On the Georgia Senate race: “I think [Jon] Ossoff is going to win. … If Shawn Harris was able to dig in that deep into a red district like my former district, that is definitely something to watch for in these other key races.”
On whether she’s still a Republican: “I don’t really know if I do consider myself one right now. I would say I’m definitely leaning more calling myself an independent. … I haven’t changed yet. But I will probably think pretty deeply about doing that.” Listen and subscribe on Apple or Spotify
In today’s Playbook …
— It’s Harris vs. Buttigieg in an increasingly visible 2028 primary.
— The Mideast ceasefire teeters between peace and war.
— Republicans and the White House prep for a big legislative push.
Somewhere in the political multiverse, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg are president and vice president.
The onetime 2020 Democratic presidential rivals-turned-allies — Buttigieg played fellow Hoosier and former VP Mike Pence in Harris’ debate prep that year — served as former President Joe Biden’s highest ranking former primary opponents in the Cabinet.
Last year, when Harris released her book “107 Days,” she wrote that Buttigieg was her first choice for a running mate. Both are the children of academics. Both seem to be making moves toward presidential campaigns of their own — or at least keeping their doors open. Both spent time on the campaign trail through the South this year.
Later this morning, both will take the stage separately for fireside chats in New York City with Rev. Al Sharpton for the 35th convention of Sharpton’s National Action Network.
This week the 2028 Democratic primary went from invisible to visible, with the largest gathering of potential candidates yet huddling with Sharpton, and two candidates — Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin — floating potential runs.
The pressure to find a message — and a messenger — that can beat Trump’s MAGA apprentice, suggests a collision between the Biden alums is inevitable. But before they can even focus on each other, they’re already taking fire together for that shared “baggage.”
When Playbook caught up with Slotkin at a Majority Democrats town hall at Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati last night — we’ll have more of that on tap tomorrow — we asked her if the 2028 nominee should be a Democrat who didn’t serve in the Biden administration, mentioning Buttigieg and Harris.
“I think there’s a lot of baggage there,” Slotkin told Playbook. “I don’t know if it’s insurmountable, but I know that the strongest feeling I get from a room like this, from being in Columbus, being in Iowa, being in Wisconsin, Idaho, Kansas, is that people want something new.”
In her book, Harris wrote that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner — if I were a straight white man.” She noted “we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.”
Back then, Buttigieg responded by saying he was “surprised” to read the passage and that they hadn’t discussed her concerns. He said his “experience in politics has been that the way that you earn trust with voters is based mostly on what they think you’re going to do for their lives, not on categories.”
Aides to Buttigieg and Harris wouldn’t disclose whether the principals have spoken since Harris’ book was published, but “their friendship remains the same,” a person close to Harris told POLITICO’s Melanie Mason. A spokesperson for Buttigieg told Adam “their relationship hasn’t changed. Pete has great respect for Vice President Harris, and he was proud to campaign hard for her in 2024.”
As for Slotkin’s take on who the next nominee will be, she’s fairly convinced it should be someone with a fresh take.
“I do know that whoever wins is going to be someone who people feel like is a break from what has come before,” Slotkin said.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is the next guest on Jubilee Media’s “Surrounded,” according to a trailer shared first with Playbook. Khanna is the third major Democrat to do the debate-style show, following Buttigieg and Texas state Rep. James Talarico. “Ro sees platforms like Jubilee as a powerful way to reach large, diverse audiences, with videos regularly generating millions of views and engaging people who are often outside traditional political spaces,” a Khanna spokesperson said.
Khanna will focus on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Jubilee CEO and founder Jason Y. Lee told Playbook “Khanna has been very outspoken and passionate regarding the Epstein files. And we thought he would do well in Surrounded to engage with a variety of different viewpoints and questions.” The new episode drops this Sunday at noon. Watch the trailer
WAR AND PEACE
AN UNCERTAIN MOMENT: Despite a ceasefire between the U.S., Israel and Iran, the Middle East teeters today somewhere between war and peace — as tensions, and rockets, continue to flare over Lebanon and the Strait of Hormuz, POLITICO’s Jacob Wendler and Daniella Cheslow report.
The Lebanon crisis: Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, with more than 1,500 people dead, has drawn escalating condemnations from around the region and the world. The U.S. will bring together Israeli and Lebanese officials for talks at the State Department next week, CBS’ Margaret Brennan and colleagues report, but Hezbollah says the Lebanese government doesn’t speak for the militant group. Different countries disagreed about whether the war’s ceasefire was meant to include Lebanon; Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, ever the maximalist hawk, insisted yesterday that it doesn’t — and that he’ll keep attacking.
“The U.S. is the only country that can force Israel to do anything on Lebanon,” one administration official told our colleagues. “And the U.S. probably got here after [Wednesday’s attacks] and the global outcry.”
Dispatch from Tel Aviv: Even as Israeli officials point to the next diplomatic phase, few here speak as though diplomacy will settle things, POLITICO’s Felicia Schwartz reports from Israel. Trump has indicated Washington wants to deal with Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium in negotiations with Tehran, and Israeli officials said the expectation is the material will somehow be removed, contained or placed under tighter control. In Israel that prospect is viewed less as a solution than as another test of whether the U.S. can turn military pressure into something lasting. Many remain unconvinced.
What they’re watching in Islamabad: Iran warned they won’t attend crucial peace talks with the U.S. in Pakistan tomorrow if the ceasefire doesn’t expand to Lebanon. Kuwait also reported fresh attacks last night; Iran denied launching them.
The other big irritant: The Strait of Hormuz remains far from fully reopened as Iran continues to squeeze most maritime traffic, which hovered below 10 percent of its pre-war usual yesterday, per Reuters’ Jonathan Saul and Ahmad Ghaddar. Trump fumed yesterday that Iran better not charge tolls on transiting ships: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!”
NATO fallout: After his fraught meeting with Trump, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte relayed to Europe that Trump wants firm commitments to help with the strait — and fast, Reuters’ Lili Bayer reports. In a lengthy private rant, Trump railed at Rutte for hours mainly about feeling betrayed that European countries refused to grant the U.S. access to military bases for the Iran war, POLITICO’s Eli Stokols and colleagues report.
BEST OF THE REST
SCOOP — The FISA fight: With the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702 authority expiring in less than two weeks, the White House is turning up pressure on the Hill to pass a clean, 18-month extension, Adam reports. The Office of Legislative Affairs sent House Republicans documents laying out the utility of Section 702, including a CIA fact sheet with claims about how the authority has bolstered security — like helping to prevent an attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Austria. The fact sheet … The booklet they’re sending lawmakers
Today at the White House: The foreign surveillance authority, to which a handful of hard-right lawmakers have demanded reforms, is of course just one of many policy issues sharply dividing Hill Republicans. Today, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) head White House to discuss another: immigration enforcement money via reconciliation. Our Inside Congress colleagues report they’ll pitch Trump on narrowly targeted legislation funding ICE and CBP — without pay-fors.
INFLATION NATION: The March Consumer Price Index report will come out at 8:30 a.m., one of the first significant gauges of how the Iran war has affected prices for Americans. Various forecasts averaged by CBS’ Aimee Picchi and Mary Cunningham expect inflation to skyrocket from 2.4 percent annually to 3.3 percent.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Endorsement watch: Mandela Barnes’ Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign is picking up an endorsement today from Collective PAC, the country’s largest PAC focused on electing Black officials. It’s a notable get for Barnes, a former lieutenant governor and 2022 Senate nominee, because there’s another prominent Black candidate in the Democratic primary: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley.
More from the campaign trail: Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) looked like she’d be a shoo-in for the Senate after Trump endorsed her to take on Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). But Letlow hasn’t put away the race yet, and either Cassidy or state Treasurer John Fleming could still make a runoff with her in the competitive race, POLITICO’s Liz Crampton reports. … If November turns into a blue tsunami, some New Jersey politicos are starting to wonder if GOP Rep. Jeff Van Drew could be vulnerable, POLITICO’s Matt Friedman reports.
EXCLUSIVE: Annals of influence — OpenAI has hired five new senior lobbyists in anticipation of a globe-spanning campaign to push the AI giant’s preferred policies worldwide, including a renewed effort in U.S. statehouses, per POLITICO’s Morning Tech. Chris Lehane, the company’s chief global affairs officer, said the hires were timed to coincide with a sweeping industrial policy plan unveiled by the company earlier this week. OpenAI has also issued a new proposal to mitigate risks posed to children by the technology, and hopes to refocus support for sovereign AI. Among the notable new hires is Donnie Fowler, a Democratic campaign alum whom OpenAI poached from Meta to lead its regulatory push across U.S. states.
THE STREISAND EFFECT HEARD ’ROUND THE WORLD: “Melania Trump denies association with Jeffrey Epstein,” by POLITICO’s Diana Nerozzi and Hailey Fuchs: “First lady Melania Trump denied that she had close ties with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a surprise public statement Thursday, calling suggestions to the contrary ‘lies.’ … Melania Trump then called on Congress to hold a ‘public hearing specifically centered around the survivors’ where they would be allowed to testify.” The president told MS NOW after Melania’s announcement that he didn’t know about it ahead of time.
100 DAYS IN: NYC Zohran Mamdani sat down with POLITICO’s Joe Anuta and Chris Sommerfeldt to talk about his first 100 days in City Hall. FYI for Washington readers: Mamdani told Joe and Chris he still considers Trump a fascist — but that their shared love of NYC “allows for our relationship to be a productive one.” Read the full Q&A … The stepback from Joe and Chris
THE WEEKEND AHEAD
FRIDAY PROGRAMS …
POLITICO “The Conversation”: Marjorie Taylor Greene.
C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: Joe Manchin and Patrick McCrory … Marc Lotter and Ashley Etienne.
PBS “Washington Week”: Anne Applebaum, Gillian Tett, Karim Sadjadpour and Nancy Youssef.
SUNDAY SO FAR …
Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: President Donald Trump.
NBC “Meet the Press”: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Panel: Matt Gorman, Amna Nawaz, Steve Ricchetti and Julio Vaqueiro.
FOX “Fox News Sunday”: Glenn Youngkin … Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) … Nate Morris … Arthur Brooks. Panel: Olivia Beavers, Michael Duncan, Doug Heye and Juan Williams.
CBS “Face the Nation”: Kristalina Georgieva … Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) … Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio).
ABC “This Week”: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … retired Gen. Joseph Votel. Panel: Donna Brazile, Sarah Isgur, Susan Glasser and Mary Louise Kelly.
CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.). Panel: Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), David Urban, Jamal Simmons and Kristen Soltis Anderson.
MS NOW “The Weekend”: Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) … Chrystia Freeland.
PBS “Compass Points”: Danielle Pletka … Dana Stroul … Ray Takeyh … Alex Vatank.
BACK TO EARTH — Artemis II is due to splash down near San Diego just after 8 p.m. Eastern time, per Florida Today. Then a major retrieval effort will get the astronauts out of the capsule and onto a Navy recovery vessel. Their final reentry to Earth is always one of the most dangerous parts of spaceflight, NBC’s Denise Chow reports.
DRINK UP — “Barron Trump’s New Business Venture Unveils Its First Product Ahead of Spring Launch,” by People’s Rachel Raposas: “A recent post from SOLLOS Yerba Mate, Barron’s beverage brand, unveiled the drink’s first two flavors … ‘Introducing our 12-pack: Pineapple + Coconut,’ the brand wrote in a post on LinkedIn. ‘Launching May 2026.’”
SPEAKING OF PRESIDENTIAL SONS — Hunter Biden challenged Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. to a cage match, though it’s not clear how real the prospect is. More from Reuters
AXE AND THE POPE — David Axelrod paid a visit to Pope Leo XIV yesterday, sparking double-takes across social media. What, exactly, brought the longtime Democratic strategist and presidential confidant to the Vatican? It was a plan long in the works, POLITICO’s Shia Kapos reports. “All I can say is that I requested the audience and this was set months ago,” Axelrod told Shia. He called the meeting “very personal” and said he was “a great admirer.”
TRANSITIONS — Kristie Malley has been named the next CEO of the Land Trust Alliance. She most recently worked at the National Park Foundation. … Danielle Steitz is now director of national security policy at the Progressive Policy Institute. She previously worked at the Joint Staff and is a U.S. Cyber Command alum. …
… Justin Herman has joined AI lab Cognition’s government team. He previously worked at ServiceNow. … Sam Reposa is now press secretary for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reelect. She previously worked in his official office and is an NSC alum.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins … Del. Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R-Northern Mariana Islands) … Jason Miller … former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh … Elizabeth Alexander … Tyler Dever of the National Federation of Independent Business … Ann Marie Hauser … Josh Shultz … Antoine Sanfuentes … Carter Yang … NextDecade’s Samantha Dravis … Bradley Saull … POLITICO’s Gigi Ewing, Alice Miranda Ollstein and Adam Behsudi … Jon Sallet … BGR Group’s Mark Tavlarides … Ray Zaccaro … Shelley Greenspan … Chris Lydon … Jessica Mackler … NBC’s Gary Grumbach … Howard Gantman … Dale Thorenson of Gordley Associates … Hanna Rosin … Circle’s Amy Dudley … Jeffrey Frank … Melinda Henneberger … Ann Klenk … RGA’s Kollin Crompton … Areig Elhag … Bridget Mulcahy McAllister … Students for Life Action’s Ryan Hoppe
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