2028 Presidential Race Kicks Off: Democratic Hopefuls Tackle Biden's Legacy

The 2028 Democratic presidential race is already beginning to take shape, as potential contenders grapple with difficult questions about the legacy of former President Joe Biden's final years in office. This week, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg—considered a likely candidate—faced pointed inquiries from reporters following a town hall in Iowa.

When asked directly if President Biden experienced cognitive decline while in office, Buttigieg responded, "Every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it." Pressed further about whether Democrats would have fared better had Biden not sought re-election, Buttigieg acknowledged, "Maybe. Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case."

The entire field of possible 2028 Democratic hopefuls now faces what some are calling an initial "gauntlet": answering for Biden's mental and physical fitness during his reelection campaign and whether the party should have acted sooner to urge him aside. These questions have only grown louder as excerpts circulate from a new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, which alleges a cover-up of Biden's cognitive challenges by his closest aides.

According to New Hampshire radio host Chris Ryan, frustration among Democratic voters is running high. "The Democratic voters are still trying to sort through what happened and why," he said.

The issue now lingers not just for Biden but for those who stood by him in 2024—many of whom are eyeing their own White House bids.

Key reactions from party leaders and possible candidates include:

• Rep. Ro Khanna (California): After standing by Biden in 2024, Khanna has since called for honesty within party ranks. "To rebuild trust, Democrats must be honest. In light of the facts that have come out, Joe Biden should not have run for reelection, and we should have had an open primary," he posted on social media.
• Sen. Chris Murphy (Connecticut): Widely seen as a national contender, Murphy bluntly stated there was "no doubt" Biden faced cognitive decline. He added, "Obviously, in retrospect, we should have done something different."
• Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan): A top Biden surrogate during 2024, Whitmer said she was too busy campaigning in swing states to notice any decline firsthand, but added recent revelations made her question much of what she thought she knew about the campaign's final stretch.

Biden dropped out of the presidential race in July 2024 after a widely criticized debate against then-candidate Donald Trump, leading to Vice President Kamala Harris’s elevation as the Democratic nominee. Harris ultimately lost the general election to Trump, and Democrats suffered significant losses down the ballot, including the Senate.

In public appearances since leaving office, Biden has strongly denied claims of significant cognitive decline, pushing back during a televised interview last week. Yet, the discussion around his abilities and decision to stay in the race continues to dominate early pre-2028 conversations.

Despite the finger-pointing and introspection, would-be Democratic nominees are attempting to shift focus to the future. As Buttigieg remarked, "We're not in a position to wallow in hindsight. We've got to get ready for some fundamental tests of the future of this country and this party." For Democrats, the challenge ahead will be not only selecting their next standard-bearer, but responding honestly to voters demanding accountability for what went wrong in 2024.