The toughest thing to do right now in Democratic politics is to stop a socialist from becoming the presidential nominee.
That's what veteran political reporter Mark Halperin boldly declared on his podcast Tuesday before unveiling his 2028 Democratic presidential nominee rankings for July. After the primary victories by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates in New York and Colorado last month — and what was, to be generous, a fawning response from the Democratic establishment — that might not seem like such a bold claim. But Halperin says he's getting pushback from people for having three candidates from what he calls the "Mamdani wing of the Democratic Party" in his top eight. He explained his reasoning, asserting, "I have no doubt that the establishment is weaker than it's ever been, that the progressives are stronger than they've been in the modern era, and I have no doubt that establishment candidates recognize they have to cater to the progressive wing."
Halperin placed the 84-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) not only above the other two progressives on the list — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) — but at number three overall, behind California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Halperin acknowledged that the biggest hurdle Sanders faces is his age but noted that even as an octogenarian, the senator looks and acts like someone with “the mental acuity and the physical and mental strength to run for president.” It’s also hard to come up with any other weaknesses for him winning the nomination, while the positives Halperin listed are numerous: “He’ll raise money. He’s got name ID. He’s strong in the early states. He knows how to run for president.” As for those previous runs, Halperin said Sanders “would have been the nominee in ’16 had he not been cheated out of it. He would have been the nominee in ’20 if the establishment hadn’t mobilized.”
But would he even run again? Halperin thinks the vacuum will be big enough that he will indeed, while he doesn’t expect Ocasio-Cortez (whom he ranks fifth on his list) to run. A big question is: If it’s not Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, or Khanna (whom he ranks eighth), is there a fourth socialist candidate who can run?
And then there’s the Jewish question. Halperin said, “I talked to people months ago when I was doing reporting for 2028 who said it’s dominant. That’s why there can’t be a Jewish candidate who can be nominated, and that’s why every candidate is going to have to pander to anti-Israel sentiment if they want to be the nominee.” While Sanders is Jewish, Halperin said he is looked at by many in his party as not “too Jewish” — by which he means his anti-Israel views make it a wild card. However, the hostile treatment of California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Jew who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, by the pro-Hamas wing of the party makes one wonder if they would eventually turn on Sanders, too. After all, you can only feed and appease the alligators for so long.
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Halperin does not have two prominent Jews — Rahm Emanuel and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — on his list, but he does include two more: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at number four and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) at number seven.
In June, Halperin had Kamala Harris, not Bernie Sanders, at number three on the list, but she has since fallen sharply. He explained:
I tend to think there are three options: she doesn't run, she runs and does well, or she runs and does poorly. I think "runs and does poorly" plus "doesn't run" adds up to well over 50% of the pie chart. So that's why I've dropped her to six.
But that's a big question because if she runs, she takes up a lot of space — with grassroots fundraising, media attention, black voters, and black female voters.
While Newsom is still number one on the list, Halperin thinks the governor, who is the subject of several Department of Justice investigations, will ultimately decide not to run. In the past, Newsom has unconvincingly tried to separate himself from the Mamdani wing of his party by declaring opposition to certain positions that would be unpopular in a national election, such as allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports.
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Halperin thought Shapiro, who is running for reelection in a purple state, would be the one to stand up to the DSA. However, recent interviews with the governor have not convinced him that will be the case because Shapiro has "failed to put a stake in the sand against socialism."
Perhaps, then, it's only fitting that the first socialist elected to the Senate in U.S. history finally becomes the Democrats' nominee in 2028. Halperin finished by explaining why he thinks Sanders will only continue to gain momentum:
But what Bernie Sanders is, and the reason why, if things stay on this trajectory, I'll probably move him to number one, is he's against the establishment. He's against the status quo. He's against business as usual. And he's for specific things to address income inequality and healthcare insecurity.
And that is who the Democrats will nominate in 2028. Someone who has a vision for those things.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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