Several possible 2028 presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle are visiting early primary states, signaling their intent to eventually run for the White House.
While the next presidential election is more than three years out, both Republicans and Democrats have made high-profile visits to South Carolina, Iowa, and New Hampshire to lay the groundwork for future campaigns.
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In the Republican Party, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to be in the running after President Donald Trump floated their names. The two are widely seen as favorites for the 2028 GOP nomination.
Meanwhile, a Democratic presidential bid is up for grabs with no campaign announcements yet.
Here are some of the candidates potentially eyeing a 2028 run and where they are going.
July 17 and Aug. 9 — Glenn Youngkin to visit Iowa and South Carolina for GOP dinner events
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) is heading to Iowa, where he will headline the Iowa Republican Party’s annual dinner on July 17. He will also travel to South Carolina to attend the South Carolina Republican Party’s annual fundraising dinner on Aug. 9.
Youngkin previously weighed a 2024 presidential bid but decided against it, saying he wanted to focus on serving Virginia. He was later considered a contender to be Trump’s running mate list last year.
The term-limited governor has not directly said whether he will run in 2028. His term expires in January 2026.
Iowa is a key primary state, as it traditionally hosts early primary caucuses. South Carolina is generally the third state to vote in presidential primaries.
July 8-9 — Gavin Newsom visits South Carolina to tour rural counties
Among the leading Democratic contenders for a 2028 run, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) is meeting with voters and local officials in a strategic two-day trip this week to eight different rural South Carolina counties: Marion, Chesterfield, Marlboro, Laurens, Pickens, Oconee, Kershaw, and Florence.
Newsom is hoping to capitalize on the economic hardship and damage from natural disasters these counties have endured and blame their predicament on state Republicans.
“Governor Newsom leads the largest economy in America and the fourth largest in the world, and he’s coming to meet folks in towns that have been hollowed out by decades of Republican control,” South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain said in a statement. “This is about building partnerships, uplifting communities, and showing rural voters they aren’t forgotten.”
The two-day trip, dubbed by state Democrats as “On the Road With Governor Newsom,” takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Six of the eight counties that Newsom plans on visiting supported Trump in 2024, including two counties where he won 75% of the vote.
South Carolina is expected to be a key early primary state for Democrats, as it was for former President Joe Biden in early 2024.
May 30-31 — Wes Moore visits South Carolina for the Democrats’ Blue Palmetto Dinner
Like Newsom, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) visited South Carolina for two days in late May to headline the South Carolina Democratic Party’s Blue Palmetto Dinner in the state capital, Columbia.
During the event, he said Democrats must learn to adapt and change under the second Trump administration if they hope to return to power in the future.
Moore also attended Rep. Jim Clyburn’s (D-SC) “World Famous Fish Fry” dinner in Columbia. It is considered to be a must-attend political event for Democratic presidential hopefuls.
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), who may have presidential ambitions following his 2024 election loss as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s running mate, also attended both events.
Moore has insisted he is not running for president in 2028, although his speaking engagements suggest otherwise. Late last month, he spoke at the NAACP’s 70th Annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner in Detroit, the largest city in a swing state that Democrats will need to flip following Trump’s victory in Michigan.
May 13 — Pete Buttigieg visits Iowa for town hall
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg held a town hall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 13 to slam Trump’s handling of the issues that veterans face.
The event, hosted by the Democratic-aligned VoteVets Action Fund, marked the former Cabinet secretary’s first public appearance since leaving the Biden administration — and his first attempt to rebrand himself.
After headlining the town hall, Buttigieg distanced himself from Biden, who he says “maybe” should have sat out a 2024 run.
In response to a question about whether Democrats would have performed better last year if Biden hadn’t initially run for reelection against Trump, he answered, “Right now, with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.”
Buttigieg also recently took advantage of podcast appearances, most notably speaking with comedian Andrew Schulz, whose show caters to a young, male audience. Trump’s numerous podcast appearances last year are believed to have helped him win the 2024 election.
Buttigieg said he is weighing a 2028 campaign. He ran in 2020, narrowly winning the most delegates in Iowa’s Democratic caucuses.
April 27 — JB Pritzker visits New Hampshire for Democratic fundraiser
Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) attended a Democratic fundraiser in New Hampshire, where he delivered the event’s keynote address on April 27.
He not only criticized Republicans’ “authoritarian tactics” but also “do-nothing” Democrats for failing to stand up to the Trump administration.
NEWSOM TOURS TRUMP-FRIENDLY RURAL SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES AMID 2028 BUZZ
The speech fueled speculation about Pritzker running in 2028, but those rumors were dashed after he announced his run for a third term as the governor of Illinois in the 2026 election. The outcome of the gubernatorial election will likely play a role in whether he reconsiders a 2028 bid.
New Hampshire has traditionally held the first presidential primary every election cycle for over a century.