Kelly 2028?

[wtg]

A federal appeals court panel appears likely to reject Pentagon plans to punish Sen. Mark Kelly for advising troops to disobey illegal orders, another potential victory for the rising Trump administration foe and likely 2028 presidential candidate.
Kelly, a Navy veteran and former astronaut who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his military moves over the past year, faces a potential retirement demotion and a reduction in his benefits for comments that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has labeled “seditious.”
The saga has turned the Arizona Democrat into a high-profile opponent of the administration — and elevated his national standing as he “seriously” considers a White House bid. Kelly has already profited off the fight, raking in a staggering $25 million-plus over the last six months even though he’s not on the ballot this year. And he’s using his latest stint in court to solicit even more.
“My case against Pete Hegseth is going to go before a federal appellate court … is there anything I can say to convince you to make a donation?” reads a fundraising email Kelly’s team blasted out ahead of Thursday’s hearing that was obtained by POLITICO.
It hinted at more solicitations to come. “Trump’s out to crush anyone who opposes him, and it’s incredibly likely the attacks will only continue,” the email went on. “It would mean a lot to know we’ll have everything we need to face whatever comes next.””

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/07/kelly-trump-hegseth-seditious-court-00910006

[Bernard]

There will be several contenders for the Dem nomination. It's still very early.

[Daniel]

I'd like to hear more from him about political issues, and, his domestic and foreign policy views. In the interim, it is truly refreshing to hear a military man or woman who understands and explains to the public the oath the military takes to the Constitution, and not to a president.

[Bernard]

In NO particular order,

Harris
Newsom
Buttigieg
AOC
Pritzker
Kelly
Shapiro
Beshear
Ro Khanna
Booker
Whitmer
Emanuel

The smartest of the list probably won't make it for being either female or gay. The pro-Israel won't make it, thanks to Netanyahu. The unknowns will struggle to make themselves known at the same time that they have to fight off falsehoods from republicans. The centrists won't make it, the base of the party is fed up with business as usual. The ultra rich will struggle to be relatable.

That doesn't leave a lot left. None of the candidates checks off all the boxes. Beshear comes close but he could very well struggle to capture the progressive wing. Pritzker comes close, but taxes in Illinois will be an issue.

45% of the electorate now registers as Independent and a large percentage of them are now dead against Trump's agenda.

We can not have same-old, same-old. Too many feel the DNC has been too heavy handed in picking and rigging nominations.

[ShiroKuro]

@Bernard said:

We can not have same-old, same-old. Too many feel the DNC has been too heavy handed in picking and rigging nominations.

This!

And we need to get this right, because the"leadership" we have now is unsustainable.