Everybody is talking about Pete Buttigieg, AOC, and Gavin Newsom as potential presidential candidates for 2028. Even Kamala Harris is still in the running, and Polymarket betting even includes odds for people like Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Hunter Biden, George Clooney, John Stewart, and, believe it or not, Zohran Mamdani, a man literally barred from running for the office.
Yet if I could place a bet, I would put down a few dollars on Ro Khanna as a possible choice the Democrats could flock to.
No, I am not PREDICTING that Khanna will be the nominee, because it is silly to make predictions at this stage of the competition. But if you could lay down a few dollars in August 2025 on Khanna, I bet you could sell your futures in 2027-28 for a nice profit. Even a move from 1% chance to 10% would net you a tidy profit, and I wouldn't be shocked if his chances beat that level by a good bit.
Khanna may not be a name that most Americans know, but then again, who ever heard of Pete Buttigieg in 2021? Yet he did well in 2020 and is now positioned as a possible candidate for 2028, even though he would be unacceptable to the left.
Khanna is, I think, a dream candidate for the Democrats. He is non-white, checking that box, and very progressive in a non-threatening way. He can speak to the aspirations of very liberal people, but he is more than acceptable to the money people in a way that AOC would put many off. He is a Bernie Sanders Democrat who also served Barack Obama as a Deputy Undersecretary in the Commerce Department.
Best of all, he represents Silicon Valley, so he speaks tech bro fluently. He may not be an Establishment Democrat, but he will bring a lot of money along with him, and that always smooths rough edges in the eyes of the Establishment.
He is smart, honest as far as I can tell, and even I appreciate his demeanor. Unlike most politicians, he is not oily or offensive, and when he speaks, you can feel confident he is telling you what he thinks. As I have mentioned, when my Dad asked me if there is a Democrat I respect, I immediately answered "Ro Khanna."
California Congressman Ro Khanna joined Hugh to discuss whether President Biden should have been removed pursuant to the 25th Amendment (the congressman doesn’t think so) and on his possible run for the presidency in 2028https://t.co/28SYQyvVAD
— HughHewittShowLinks (@HHSLinks) May 21, 2025
He was shocked because Khanna is so liberal. I disagree with him on most things, so why do I respect him?
Because he is smart and honest. And he doesn't act out of reflex, but his own principles.
BREAKING - Democrat Rep. Ro khanna just broke party lines to codify President Trump’s executive order reducing the price of pharmaceuticals for Americans. pic.twitter.com/QN7xVH5Dvk
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) May 14, 2025
Khanna describes himself as a "progressive capitalist," which sounds very Silicon Valley. While that may not appeal to the Antifa crowd, I suspect that his genuinely progressive credentials would make him acceptable to most liberals, and his appreciation for the importance of innovation and regulated markets would make him acceptable to the money people and most centrists.
Stephen A asks Ro Khanna: “Why are we not hearing your name for Governor of California or for President when you seem to speak to a vast majority of American citizens” pic.twitter.com/7Cs6NtNZ1g
— Stephen A. 2028 Fans (@SASForPres) June 27, 2025
Khanna has danced around a bit when asked about his ambitions, but clearly, he is thinking about it and should be. He could fill a niche in the slate of candidates that would otherwise likely go unfilled. He is progressive without being intimidating to moderates, speaks incredibly well without resorting to the dancing — literal dancing, in the case of Gavin Newsom — that most politicians employ, and could raise astronomical sums of money because he represents a district with the GDP of a European country.
🚨NEW: Stephen A. Smith to Sean Hannity:
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 5, 2025
"You know good and well I wouldn’t vote for Mamdani, I wouldn't vote for AOC!"
"I don’t like the way Jasmine Crockett is talking!"@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/mViTyqtfye
It's challenging to predict the political climate in 2028, making it difficult to gauge whether he could secure the nomination. The Democrats haven't just gone progressive, but angry as well. Khanna doesn't breathe fire, which makes him a great candidate for the general election, but iffy for the primaries.
Predictions are hard, especially about the future. But if Khanna starts making it on lists of candidates in the betting markets, I would throw a few bucks into his futures contracts.
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