Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina…Munich?
The annual Munich Security Conference begins today, and it’s getting an unusual jolt of attention: Potential 2028 contenders Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ruben Gallego will all be speaking.
Historically, the conference has been attended by members of Congress in good standing with the D.C. foreign policy establishment, most of whom usually serve on relevant committees. Last year, for example, the U.S. delegation was led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, and John Cornyn. In 2018, Trump’s first second year, it was Whitehouse, Shaheen, Sen. Jim Risch, and Rep. Mike Turner.
So it’s something new for the conference to become a bit of a 2028 cattle call. And it’s especially notable for governors — whose lack of direct foreign policy experience has often been a key vulnerability in presidential races — to be appearing. So far, AOC has been the clearest about her intentions, telegraphing her plan to provide a “working class perspective” that links the rise of right-wing populism in the West to the growth of wealth concentration.
All of them, of course, are united by their desire to offer an alternative slate of U.S. leadership from Trump — a mantle Newsom more than any other Democrat has taken up over the past year. He alone has attended the UN Climate Change Conference in Brazil, the UN Climate Week in New York, the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, and now the Munich conference.
Beshear’s test-runs
DGA Chair and KY Gov. Andy Beshear pioneered a new form of the Full Ginsburg this week, hitting the Daily Show, MSNow, The View, and ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith's radio show.
The appearances were notable only insofar as they appeared to be a road test for some nascent 2028 campaign messaging. In every appearance, Beshear hit several points, decrying “advocacy speak,” telling his fellow Democrats to “talk like normal human beings,” and declaring he “spends “80% of my time on things that matter to 100% of people.” Beshear has hit all of the points before, but the repetition indicates he and his team have landed on a newly sharpened iteration of each.
One fun moment: How Beshear reacted when Jon Stewart asked him which Democratic governor “would be the best president.”
Keep an eye: federal-state election clashes
One consistent theme of Beshear’s appearances this week: Telling his interviewers “we won’t let” Trump steal the midterms. It’s a weightier topic than ever, as the administration signals ever more seriousness around tampering with elections this year. Over the past few weeks, the administration has deployed the FBI to seize voting machines from Fulton County, officials floated the prospect of ICE agents patrolling polling stations, and the president himself argued that “the Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
Also this week: The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, Republicans’ favored vessel for national election regulation, passed the House. The bill is likely dead in the Senate, but it’s become a bit of a holy grail for those conservatives convinced Democratic electoral victories are the product of fraud (the online right is extremely animated by it right now). As many analysts have pointed out, the parties’ changed coalitions mean the bills’ stringent ID requirements likely actually cut in Democrats’ favor. Still, the extreme passion on the right for some sort of action is causing some, like Vox’s Eric Levitz, to warn of a looming “nightmare scenario” in November. And it puts Democratic-led states in a potentially crucial position over the next year.
Democrats want you to “know your rights”
AZ Gov. Katie Hobbs’ administration rolled out an official, state-run site this week aimed at educating residents about their rights during interactions with ICE and federal law enforcement.
It’s part of a growing trend in Democratic-led states: New Jersey, New York, and Delaware have rolled out similar, official state portals in recent months.
It’s an especially interesting move from Hobbs, given she had a public scuffle with Democratic state Attorney General Kris Mayes over the state’s response to ICE several weeks ago. In an interview with local media, Mayes warned about the potentially combustible combination of plainclothes, masked ICE officers and Arizona’s expansive gun laws — which give citizens the right to use deadly force to defend themselves. Republicans quickly pounced on the comments (it is still very much a live issue in the state) and Hobbs publicly condemned them as “irresponsible.” Mayes snapped right back at Hobbs, saying “what should concern the governor” is federal overreach.
Finally, a fun read:
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro has apparently been in a months-long battle with his next-door neighbors over a strip of land between their properties, which both families claim ownership of and are now suing each other over.
That’s all for this week, folks — enjoy your long weekend.
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