Over the last few years (really over the last few decades, but who’s counting?) we’ve become accustomed to the hectic pace of presidential elections. We used to have a lull after a general election, but these days it seems as if the battle for positions in presidential elections begins about 48 seconds after the last election was called.
You’d think they’d at least try to get a good night’s sleep first.
Of course, the party members who lost the last election are the ones arguing most hectically. Republicans can be fairly confident that, barring a disaster, JD Vance will be the 2028 nominee, and frankly, most Republicans should be pretty comfortable with that idea. But the Democrats? With all the finger-pointing and recrimination done, the Democrats need a candidate, and boy howdy, the jockeying for the position has already begun. Now we’re learning that none other than former South Bend, Indiana mayor and current Transportation Secretary “Pothole Pete” Buttigieg may be considering another attempt to win over Republicans across the country respond with “Yes, please!”
An appearance by Pete Buttigieg on New Hampshire talk radio Friday morning is fueling ongoing speculation that the U.S. transportation secretary in President Biden’s administration may be considering another run for the White House in 2028.
Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate seen as a potential contender in the next nomination race, has made numerous radio appearances across the country during his four years leading the Department of Transportation, including a series in New Hampshire, which is proud to be the transportation secretary his first presidential primary state in the nation.
Yes, Pothole Pete ran in 2020, and the only reason his campaign wasn’t the absolute worst this cycle was because Kamala Harris was also in the race. Of course, some Democrats are already supporting the idea of Kamala Harris running again in 2028, but honestly, if Kamala Harris can’t compete with Pete Buttigieg in a Democratic primary, why would anyone think she would run? Does she have more chances in the open field than she did in 2020?
Remember Tulsi Gabbard’s defense of Kamala Harris in the 2019 Democratic primary debate? Tulsi spilled that blood, and in every future primary debate, other Democrats will try to attack and attack Kamala in a similar manner.
But Pete Buttigieg would hardly be better. As mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he was incompetent. As transport minister he was a cipher – as he appeared at all. He only narrowly made it as a candidate. Watching Pete Buttigieg face off against JD Vance in a presidential race would be like watching a battle between the Royal Gurkha Rifles and a San Francisco Boy Scout troop.
See related: Report: ‘Lost and rudderless’ Democrats eye AOC as 2028 presidential candidate
Trump announces his pick for transportation secretary as he prepares to replace the hapless Pete Buttigieg
Granted, Buttigieg hasn’t announced a launch yet; So far this is speculation. But he isn’t I also rule out a run.
“The only thing that’s certain to come next is a little vacation,” Buttigieg said when asked Host Chris Ryan about his plans after his term as transport minister expires on January 20th.
Buttigieg said he and his spouse, Chasten, are “ready to spend some time together. “I’m ready to be with our three-year-old twins a little bit more, and I’m determined not to make any hasty life decisions in the new year.”
So it remains to be seen whether any of these “life decisions” would include running for office again, although he has done so once, clearly indicating his ambitions. But could he have gained enough self-awareness in his aborted 2020 campaign to know that, quite frankly, he simply isn’t cut out for this position?
Make me skeptical.
As much as I hate to give Democrats advice, their best hopes for 2028 may well lie in party leaders pleading with someone like Joe Manchin, hat in hand, begging, “Joe, please save us from ourselves!” “But I don’t think that will happen. I suspect it will take a few more campaigns before Democrats realize that their party’s Overton Window has been pushed off the map into “HERE BE MONSTERS” territory.
