INTERNACIONAL
2028 auditions for Democratic presidential nomination kick off as blue-state governor visits key early state
It’s 2025, but it’s starting to feel a little bit like 2028 in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary in the race for the White House.
That’s because Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the billionaire two-term Democrat from the solidly blue Midwestern state, is coming to New Hampshire this weekend to headline the state party’s largest annual fundraising gala.
Pritzker, who has become one of his party’s most vocal critics of the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump during the first three months of his second tour in the White House, is seen as a potential contender for the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination.
And trips to New Hampshire — which for over a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House — are seen as an early indicator of a politician’s interest in running for the presidency in the next election.
HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is interviewed by Fox News Digital at a New Hampshire delegation breakfast at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. (Paul Steinhauser)
«We’ve got to be ready for the fight,» Pritzker said when asked by Fox News Digital what his message will be when he delivers the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner.
The governor, a member of the Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain and who has started several of his own venture capital and investment startups, argued that the nation is «in a constitutional crisis» and that «we have too many people who are ill affected by the policies of the Trump administration.»
«This is the moment for people to stand up and fight,» he added.
Pritzker, 60, is the first potential Democratic presidential hopeful to visit New Hampshire, or any other early primary state, since Democrats lost the White House and their Senate majority and failed to retake the House in November.
And Trump and Republicans down-ballot made gains with key parts of the Democrats’ base, including with Black, Hispanic and younger voters.
HEATING UP: PRESEASON MOVES IN 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE GETTING UNDERWAY
In the wake of those setbacks, Democrats have experienced increased intra-party tensions with an angry and energized base itching to fight back against Trump. That anger is directed not only at Trump and Republicans, but also at Democrats, with many in the party’s base upset that leaders haven’t been effective or vocal enough in pushing back against the president.
It’s also led to reflection about what the Democratic Party stands for and its direction moving forward amid flagging favorable ratings in national polling.
Two-term California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another high-profile Democrat who likely also has national ambitions in 2028, said earlier this week in an interview with «The Hill» that he wasn’t sure what the party truly represents.
«I don’t know what the party is,» Newsom said. «I’m still struggling with that.»
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who was a top surrogate for Democrats during the 2024 presidential election, speaks with voters during a stop at a highway rest area in Hooksett, New Hampshire, on July 8, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Asked if he’s also struggling, Pritzker responded, «I’ve been clear my whole life. The Democratic Party stands up for working people. Stands up for working families. We’re the party of civil rights. We’re the party of human rights. No doubt about that, in my mind.»
Pritzker, who is not prevented by term limits from running for re-election in 2026, has yet to say if he’ll make a bid for a third term steering Illinois. But the clock is ticking, with the filing period opening up later this year and the state’s primary just 11 months away.
HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING AND OPINION ON JB PRITZKER
«Given the circumstances of getting on the ballot for people, I would need to make a decision and announce it by, you know, by latest July,» Pritzker said when asked about his timetable for making a decision.
But it’s a possible presidential run by Pritzker that is grabbing headlines.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says he will decide by July on whether he will seek re-election in 2026. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune via AP, Pool)
Chicagoan Bill Daley, who served as former President Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary and former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, told The Wall Street Journal last week that «there is no doubt that he [Pritzker] is going to run.»
Pritzker, asked about Daley’s prediction, said, «I’d guess I’d remind you that he didn’t support me when I ran for governor the first time… I don’t know where he gets his information.»
And on the possibility of launching a national campaign in the 2028 election cycle, Pritzker said, «All I can tell you is, I’m focused on the question of whether I will run for re-election as governor, and on defeating the policies of Donald Trump.»
DEMOCRATS’ VICE CHAIR GETS ULTIMATUM: STAY NEUTRAL IN PRIMARIES OR STEP DOWN
The governor is no stranger to New Hampshire. He headlined the 2022 New Hampshire Democratic Party convention, and he returned last September to campaign on behalf of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced then-President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee in July. Pritzker made multiple stops, including addressing union members at the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast.
Pritzker was among those vetted by the Harris presidential campaign as a possible running mate.
The governor, who led a successful effort to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, was also among the potential 2028 White House contenders to speak during the convention week at the New Hampshire Democratic Party delegation’s daily breakfasts.
A sign outside the state capital building in Concord, New Hampshire, spotlights the state’s treasured position for the past century in holding the lead-off presidential primary. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Veteran New Hampshire-based Democratic consultant Jim Demers noted that «for many New Hampshire Democrats, his [Pritzker’s] visit is an early audition for 2028.»
«It comes at a time when voters are really looking for leadership, someone who will challenge what Donald Trump is doing. So, what he says will be weighed very heavily,» he added.
Demers, pointing to Pritzker’s handful of trips to the Granite State over the past couple of years, said that «every time he has visited with New Hampshire voters, he has delivered a message that has resonated very well.»
Neil Levesque, the longtime director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, said that «Pritzker is coming into a highly political state at an opportune time because of how fired up and charged up Democrats are in opposition to President Trump.»
And he noted that the stop «will kick off the first of multiple visits by multiple potential candidates, considering that Democrats are hungry for an opposition.»
While Pritzker’s visit is the first as the very early moves in the 2028 White House race get underway, behind the scenes there’s already action.
A Granite State-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that activists in New Hampshire are receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the potential candidates for 2028.
«Every week I receive a dozen,» the strategist said, adding that the messages are signed by Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Rep. Ro Khanna of California and other potential 2028 contenders.
The strategist said the possible White House hopefuls are «driving messaging and their names through this constant barrage of emails.»
While the stop by Pritzker may seem very early, it’s actually occurring later in the calendar than the first stop in an early-voting state in the 2024 presidential election cycle.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a breakfast hosted by the Westside Conservative Club in Urbandale, Iowa, on March 26, 2021.
Mike Pompeo, the former congressman from Kansas who later served as CIA director and then Secretary of State in Trump’s first administration, spoke in Iowa in late March 2021.
CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Pompeo, who took a hard look at running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before deciding against launching a campaign, was the first of the potential Republican White House hopefuls that cycle to visit one of the early-voting primary and caucus states.
Politics,Elections,J.B. Pritzker,Gavin Newsom,Donald Trump,New Hampshire,Presidential Primaries
Trump goes after Schumer: Tell him ‘GO TO HELL’
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy joins ‘America Reports’ to discuss the President Donald Trump accusing Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer of extortion after asking for $1B unfrozen in exchange for nominee confirmations.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Senate Republicans faced a choice recently: Remain in session and confirm more of President Trump’s nominees, or finally abandon Washington for the vaunted August recess.
Senators hung around – a little while – knocking out some of the President’s nominees for administration positions. But not all. That drew the ire of some conservatives, Trump loyalists and President Donald Trump himself.
Trump seethed at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for requiring the Senate to run lengthy parliamentary traps and incinerate valuable floor time to confirm even non-controversial nominees. The President finally unloaded on the New York Democrat in a digital coup de grace, telling him to «GO TO HELL!»
It’s notable that Trump has not yet met with Schumer or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., during his second term. But then again, this is a two-way street. And Democrats remember multiple tumultuous meetings with Mr. Trump during the last time he was in office. It culminated in verbal grappling between the President and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, and ended with Democrats abandoning the meeting after only a few moments.
TRUMP TELLS SCHUMER TO ‘GO TO HELL’ OVER SENATE NOMINEE DEAL FUNDING DEMANDS AFTER NEGOTIATIONS COLLAPSE
So, it’s far from certain any such meeting would yield anything remotely productive.
But back to the «August recess.»
First, it’s important to establish that members of the House and Senate are not on «summer vacation.» Sure, there are always some breaks to visit with family and friends. Lawmakers are people, too. But truly, this is not a «break.» Lawmakers are always «on.» Not everything they do is centered around Washington. Any congressman or senator worth their salt will tell you that spending time back in their home states or districts is just as important – if not more so – than what goes down on Capitol Hill. Meeting with constituents. Visiting businesses. Conducting town hall meetings. Stopping by local coffee bars. Breaking bread at diners. Chatting up the local press corps.
Members also use this longer respite for political travel and fact-finding missions overseas. These «CODELS» – short for «Congressional Delegation» – are a critical function for lawmakers to build bridges with foreign leaders and make their marks on how the U.S. approaches the rest of the globe. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., have recently led groups on trips to Israel. At least one other major trip is booked for later this month.
So, the «August recess» is not inherently a «bad» thing. It’s an essential part of the job and probably one of the biggest misnomers in American politics.
Still, many Americans simply dismiss August as a «vacation» for House members and senators, and it is a challenging optic for Congress.
Which brings us back to the tension between staying in session to get «something» done and returning home.
RECESS ON ICE AS REPUBLICANS HUNKER DOWN FOR HIGH-STAKES NOMINEE BLITZ
It’s clear the Senate could have stayed in session to plow through more of President Trump’s nominees. Schumer and other Democrats simply weren’t going to relent and allow Republicans to confirm a slate of nominees «en bloc.» That’s where the Senate greenlights a large slate of nominees all at once and approves them either by unanimous consent or via voice vote. The Senate confirms the nominees all at once. The House certainly could have stayed in session to hammer out a few spending bills ahead of the deadline to fund the government by October 1.
But here’s a stark reality – especially for the Senate:
Lawmakers and staff desperately needed a break.
Period. Full stop.
Since May, the Senate in particular has conducted multiple overnight, round-the-clock and weekend sessions. Not just a few. The Senate voted deep into the night or overnight on the Big, Beautiful Bill. Then the Senate was back for late-night sessions confirming nominees.
Yes. This is the people’s business. But the floor staff and support teams were exhausted. Senate leaders were mindful of that. And that’s to say nothing of the lawmakers themselves.
It’s anecdotal, but lawmakers probably needed a break from one another, too. That makes them happier – and probably more productive when they return to Washington.
But this still doesn’t solve the political dilemma facing Republican senators with a substantial core of their party demanding they remain moored in Washington to grind out nominees.
And it may not satisfy President Trump, either.
There’s lots of Senate talk now about «changing the rules» to accelerate the confirmation of nominees.
One thing is for sure: the Senate won’t change the «rules» to expedite the confirmation process. The Senate boasts 44 standing rules. It takes 67 votes to break a filibuster on an actual rules change. But what Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could do is back the Senate into a special parliamentary posture where he can initiate a new «precedent» to confirm different types of nominees. That’s a maneuver that late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., executed to confirm some of former President Obama’s nominees. The same with former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to confirm Supreme Court nominees.
DEMS DIG IN, TRUMP DEMANDS ALL: NOMINEE FIGHT BOILS OVER IN SENATE AS GOP LOOKS FOR A DEAL
«New precedents» in the Senate require some complicated parliamentary wrangling. But only a simple majority is necessary to make good on this gambit for nominees. So, it’s easier and much more plausible than «changing the rules.»
To the lay person, a new «precedent» doesn’t sound important. But there’s a reason why the Senate only has 44 standing rules and a voluminous book of precedents. You can accomplish a lot in the Senate if you’re able to concoct a new precedent.
And note that it’s not just Republicans who want to change the way the Senate does things for some lower-tier, non-controversial nominees. Some Senate Democrats have expressed interest in changes, too.
President Donald Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have strongly over the confirmation of a number of Trump’s nominees for various administration positions. (Getty Images)
There are only so many minutes and so many hours. Time is just as valuable to Democrats as it is to Republicans.
Everyone on Capitol Hill knows that more long nights and overnight sessions await lawmakers in September and the fall as the Senate attempts to confirm additional nominees.
That’s to say nothing of avoiding a government shutdown in October.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This is why Senate Republicans elected to stick around for a bit recently – and then call it a day. Or a month.
After all, there is only so much time available in August.
politics,senate,house of representatives politics
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of a concerted effort in the United States and beyond to «break down» the bond between Christians and Jews.
Speaking at an event last month in Jerusalem attended by Pastor Paula White-Cain, spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump and head of the White House Office of Faith and Anti-Semitism, Netanyahu stated, the «partnership that promotes Judeo-Christian values, that protects Israel’s Christians as nowhere else in the Middle East. That truth is being reversed,»
«As part of this campaign,» he continued, Israel is now being portrayed as a threat to Christians.»
Netanyahu said that Israel is home to a thriving Christian community — unique in a region where Christians often face persecution. He pointed to Nazareth as a place where Christian life is visible and open, contrasting it with Bethlehem, where the Christian population declined sharply — from 80% to under 20% — after Israel withdrew, and the Palestinian Authority assumed control, leading to reduced protections for the community.
TRUMP AND NETANYAHU CELEBRATE ‘HISTORIC VICTORY’ AGAINST IRAN, EYE FUTURE MIDDLE EAST PEACE
Pastor Paula White-Cain, spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump and head of the White House Office of Faith and Antisemitism (sitting next to Sara Netanyahu) meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at Daystar’s «Together As One» event in Jerusalem, as part of a visit organized by Niv Jacobi, President of The Meaning Channel. (Felipe Volokita, The Meaning Channel.)
Pastor John Hagee, the influential Founder and Chairman of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), said fringe online agitators and politicians are motivated by two distinct impulses in their attacks on Israel.
«The true narcissists, regardless of politics, will pursue relevance through antisemitic contrarianism if they perceive themselves to be slipping from the world’s stage. Tragically, trafficking in antisemitism is one of the shortest paths to infamy,» he told Fox News Digital.
«For the true Jew-haters, Christian Zionism has been correctly perceived as the bulwark against the rise of American antisemitism. As Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs [Ron Dermer] has pointed out, Christian Zionism is the backbone of American support for Israel.
«Those who hate Israel and want to see it destroyed understand that the Jewish-Christian alliance prevents them from achieving their terrible aims; it’s logical then that they would seek to drive a wedge between Jews and Christians. Our relationship is a direct and unequivocal refutation of their evil ideology and aims,» he said.
Hagee also warned that anti-Israel narratives are being amplified online and through the mainstream media «to the exclusive benefit of Palestinian terrorists.»
DISPUTED FIRE BY ANCIENT CHURCH IN HOLY LAND SPARKS DIPLOMATIC, RELIGIOUS FALLOUT
During his speech, Netanyahu focused on some in the voices in the media. «So, Israel, the guardian of Christianity in the Middle East, is presented on American television by purchased influencers. It’s presented as the enemy of Christianity. What folly, what lies. What a travesty of truth,» he said.
«We must fight for our common values, we must stand up for the truth. And by standing up for the truth, you stand up with Israel, and you stand with the Jewish people against this abomination of falsehoods,» he concluded.
Netanyahu’s comments came against the backdrop of recent allegations that extremist settlers had targeted a historic church in the West Bank, and the IDF had deliberately targeted a church in Gaza.
Jesus the King Church in Nazareth, Israel (Photo: Pastor Saleem Shalash.)
In mid-July, the Council of Patriarchs and Heads of Churches of Jerusalem claimed that «radical Israelis» had intentionally set a fire near the Church of Saint George in Taybeh. However, Israel Police later confirmed that the ancient church ruins were undamaged and that the fire, of unknown origin, was confined to a nearby open area.
Separately, the IDF confirmed that a July 17 mortar strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza was the result of an «unintentional deviation of munitions.» An investigation found that the church had been accidentally hit during operational activity in Gaza City. The military said it facilitated humanitarian aid deliveries to the church and coordinated a visit by clergy from the Greek and Latin Patriarchates.
Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a former evangelical advisor to President Donald Trump, pointed to the billions of dollars invested by anti-Israel actors to influence young minds on American campuses.
Thousands of evangelical Christian pilgrims pray during a prayer gathering on the Dead Sea shore in Ein Gedi on September 20, 2013, in the Judean Desert, during their annual visit to Israel to mark the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and to express solidarity with Israel. Some five thousand Christian pilgrims from around the world arrived for a week-long visit to Israel, in an annual show of solidarity with the Jewish state. (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)
EVANGELICAL LEADERS PRAISE TRUMP’S CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL AMID WAR WITH IRAN
«The bottom line on this narrative is that there’s a belief system that Israel’s existence is illegitimate. They don’t say this about any other country in the world, no matter how bloody its origins. This belief system gets Jews killed. Anti-Zionism is antisemitism,» he said.
«My message to Bible-believing Christians is to teach a biblical worldview that Israel is the Bible land. The church in Germany was evangelical Protestant. They aligned with the Nazi party, had swastikas on its altars, and believed that God sent the chancellor.
«This happened because they rejected a biblical worldview and bought into what is called ‘replacement theology.’ That’s the reason why I have developed a significant curriculum to teach the church and its leaders,» Evans noted.
David Parsons, Senior Vice President and Spokesman of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), told Fox News Digital that Christian support for Israel — rooted in decades, if not centuries, of history—has grown to unprecedented levels, though it is being heavily tested amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.
«It predates Trump and Netanyahu, it will be there after those leaders are gone,» he said.
Students at Columbia University participate in an anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protest. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
«We have to pass the baton to a new generation, and this is where the challenge is coming, as a lot of the young Christians aren’t buying into the same rationale as their parents to support Israel, which a lot of it was based on certain prophetic scenarios and prophecy charts about Israel’s role,» he continued.
«We see it as God being faithful to his covenant promises to the patriarch Abraham 4,000 years ago. If God is faithful to what he promised Jewish people millennia ago, then he will be faithful to what he’s promised us under the new covenant,» he said.
Parsons noted that bringing young Christians to experience Israel firsthand helps cultivate that connection.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«A lot of the young evangelical supporters of Israel are not in some of these elite universities where they’re being poisoned against Israel, and so we have hope,» he said.
«When you see the amazing things that Israel has done — the pager operation [against Hezbollah], how they defeated Iran in 12 days — if you’re a young person, you have to be impressed with Israel’s creativity and ingenuity,» he continued. «Eventually, once we get a resolution of the Gaza situation, there will be a whole new generation of Christians that are curious enough to come and check it out.»
israel,christianity religion,anti semitism,conflicts
INTERNACIONAL
La guerra Rusia-Ucrania: Donald Trump analiza invitar a Volidimir Zelenski a su encuentro con Vladimir Putin en Alaska
Apoyo europeo
Estados Unidos,Donald Trump,Volodímir Zelenski,Vladimir Putin,Guerra Rusia-Ucrania
Rescataron a más de diez animales tras una denuncia por maltrato en un circo: “Vivían entre sus heces”
Faith under fire: Netanyahu calls out efforts to divide Christians and Israel in US
¡Intruso enamorado! Pablo Layus presentó a su nueva novia: «Mis hijos me hicieron gancho con ella»
La guerra Rusia-Ucrania: Donald Trump analiza invitar a Volidimir Zelenski a su encuentro con Vladimir Putin en Alaska
Chasco para Modric en su debut con el Milan
El juez de la causa del fentanilo contaminado advirtió que se investigan nuevos casos y que ya son 76 los muertos
Palmeiras denunció un ataque de bombas contra su centro de entrenamiento
Elecciones en PBA: el mapa de las 63 fuerzas políticas que compiten en las ocho secciones electorales y los 135 municipios
Summertime and the living is uneasy on Capitol Hill
Rescataron a más de diez animales tras una denuncia por maltrato en un circo: “Vivían entre sus heces”
Faith under fire: Netanyahu calls out efforts to divide Christians and Israel in US
¡Intruso enamorado! Pablo Layus presentó a su nueva novia: «Mis hijos me hicieron gancho con ella»
Malas noticias para Wanda Nara: por qué la bajaron misteriosamente de MasterChef: «No va a salir este año»
Axel Kicillof reclamó ante la Corte Suprema $12 billones que le adeuda Nación
Causa Cuadernos: la Justicia confirmó el inicio del juicio en contra de Cristina Kirchner por corrupción
Mauricio Macri cruzó a los libertarios por el acuerdo electoral: “Quieren tomar una posición dominante”
“¡Vergüenza nacional! La Policía Federal recibirá aumentos ridículos de solo $10.000 y vive un colapso salarial mientras el costo de vida se dispara”
Milei afirmó que la elección en la provincia de Buenos Aires “podría significar el fin del kirchnerismo”
POLITICA2 días agoMilei grabará la cadena nacional con un mensaje sobre los vetos orientado a “amurallar el déficit cero y la política monetaria”
- POLITICA3 días ago
Lilia Lemoine reaccionó a las declaraciones de Diana Mondino y dijo que “atentó” contra el Presidente: “Está armado”
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Tras filtrarse el video de Mauro Icardi y la China Suárez peleando, Rufina Cabré se volvió a Argentina: «Se viene porque extraña»
