Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo poured cold water on a potential presidential run in 2028, the latest Democrat to distance herself from the cohort of potential contenders vying for the White House.
The former Rhode Island governor was one of the first Democrats to announce an interest in the coming presidential campaign last April. Now, Raimondo doesn’t see herself making a play for the job, she told a Rhode Island podcast that published on Tuesday.
“Look, I would like the job, I’m not going to lie,” she said. “But politics is, it’s in a crazy place right now and so I’m just going to let it all unfold. But I’ll play my part in any way that I think I can help the country.”
When asked if any 2028 contenders in particular appealed to her, Raimondo endorsed a competitive, open primary for the Democratic ticket.
“It’s still a very long time away. A very, very long time away. We got to get through these midterms, we’ll see how that goes,” she said. “I’m confident a number of really good people will throw their hat into the ring, and we’ll have to see.”
Governors including Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Andy Beshear of Kentucky — and a cadre of battleground senators including Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), plus former officials like ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — are seen as likely to target a presidential run shortly after the November midterm elections.
Raimondo, who was reportedly considered to serve as Joe Biden’s vice president in 2020 before being tapped for another role in his Cabinet, counseled that Democrats had “gotten a little far from the meat and potatoes issues that matter to people in their day-to-day lives.”
“We just have to be the party that is obsessed with rebuilding the middle class and making it so that the everyday American can pay their bills and you know, have a decent life and have some sense of security,” she said.
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