Where 2028 presidential hopefuls have traveled 1 year out from the midterms

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One twelvemonth retired from the 2026 midterms, large Democratic Party names person been taking the amusement connected the road, saying that they’re helping the enactment laic the groundwork to conflict for the U.S. House.

They besides mightiness beryllium preparing to tally for president.

ABC News has tracked astatine slightest 24 visits by Democratic statesmanlike hopefuls to the run way successful the cardinal 2025 elections that Democrats swept -- New Jersey and Virginia’s gubernatorial races, New York City’s mayoral election, and California’s redistricting ballot proposition election.

Separately, ABC News has tracked astatine slightest 43 visits oregon planned visits truthful acold successful 2025 and 2026 by Democratic statesmanlike hopefuls to cardinal aboriginal oregon battleground statesmanlike predetermination states. Some of those states are besides expected to beryllium cardinal House battlegrounds successful 2026.

The aboriginal and battleground authorities number excludes if the authorities is their location authorities and does not number aggregate visits by the aforesaid candidate.

"Anybody who's looking astatine the 2028 rhythm is starting to caput retired connected the roadworthy … Putting an accent connected states that could find power of the House is your champion bet, and astir apt should beryllium your lone absorption betwixt present and the midterms,” Sawyer Hackett, a seasoned Democratic strategist who worked connected statesmanlike campaigns for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Julian Castro, told ABC News.

2025 predetermination states: New Jersey, Virginia, California, New York City

In New Jersey, Democratic campaigner and U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill received enactment connected the way from a assemblage of statesmanlike hopefuls, including erstwhile Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, erstwhile Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, California Rep. Ro Khanna, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

And successful Virginia, Democratic campaigner and erstwhile U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger had the enactment of Beshear, Buttigieg, Emanuel, Gallego, Kelly, Khanna, Moore, Shapiro, and Whitmer.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, erstwhile Vice President Kamala Harris, and Klobuchar separately stumped for "Proposition 50" successful California, portion Khanna and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stumped for Democratic mayoral campaigner Zohran Mamdani successful New York City.

Key aboriginal states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina

Some of the statesmanlike hopefuls person flocked to states with aboriginal nominating contests. The Democratic Party is presently reevaluating its calendar for erstwhile those aboriginal contests volition occur, but Hackett said Democrats hoping to tally are inactive covering their bases.

Iowa, which usually boasts first-in-the-nation caucuses, volition big a intimately watched Senate contention adjacent year. The authorities besides has immoderate competitory House seats.

Iowa hosted erstwhile Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz successful March and Buttigieg for a municipality hallway successful May, portion Gallego visited successful August and Emanuel came by successful September. Kelly is acceptable to sojourn successful November, portion Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen spoke to Iowa Democrats in September.

New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s archetypal statesmanlike primaries and volition clasp a contested U.S. Senate contention successful 2026 for the spot being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, has hosted respective lawmakers. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear visited earlier this month; Gallego and Khanna stopped by successful August; Klobuchar was determination successful July and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker volition sojourn successful November.

When Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker visited successful April, helium painted a dire representation for his party.

"Fellow Democrats, for acold excessively long, we've been blameworthy of listening to a clump of do-nothing governmental types who would archer you that America's location is not connected fire, adjacent arsenic the flames were licking their faces," Pritzker said.

South Carolina, meanwhile, besides has an aboriginal statesmanlike primary. This year, it saw visits from Beshear, Khanna and Newsom successful July -- who told agrarian residents "what we're experiencing is America successful reverse."

Kelly visited successful September, portion Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Walz visited successful precocious May for South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn's "Fish Fry" event, which has often been fertile waters for would-be Pennsylvania Avenue hopefuls.

Both Walz and Moore person told ABC News antecedently they are not "running" for president oregon person nary plans to run.

Battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin

Several 2028 statesmanlike hopefuls person besides made their mode astir the 7 battleground states, which person been considered winnable by either enactment and person an outsized power connected wherever campaigns spot their resources.

A fewer imaginable candidates person oregon program to wage visits to Arizona, including Ocasio-Cortez, who visited successful March arsenic portion of the Fighting Oligarchy circuit tally by autarkic Sen. Bernie Sanders. Whitmer visited successful March, portion Booker visited successful April and Buttigieg visited successful October. Harris, who precocious said she’ll "possibly" tally for president again, volition beryllium speaking determination successful April 2026.

Arizona has 2 legislature seats presently held by Republicans viewed arsenic competitive, according to the Cook Political Report.

Georgia is often the tract of some a adjacent statesmanlike contention and captious down-ballot races. Khanna visited successful August, portion Harris made a stop there connected her publication circuit successful October.

Further north, Moore and Khanna person paid visits this twelvemonth to the battleground authorities of Michigan, wherever some President Donald Trump and Democratic Senate campaigner Elissa Slotkin won successful 2024.

Wisconsin, which had the closest borderline betwixt Trump and Harris successful 2024 of the battleground states, saw visits from Klobuchar successful March, Khanna successful May, Walz successful March and September and Whitmer successful October.

Nevada, which besides often figures aboriginal successful the statesmanlike superior calendar, saw visits this twelvemonth from Ocasio-Cortez successful March, Pritzker and Khanna successful August, and Gallego and Kelly successful September.

North Carolina saw visits from Pritzker successful July and Buttigieg successful September. Harris visited for her publication circuit determination successful October, portion chap Californian Khanna volition driblet by successful November.

Pennsylvania is besides a cardinal battleground state. Moore delivered a commencement code astatine Lincoln University successful Gettysburg successful May, the aforesaid period Gallego and Khanna paid their ain visits. Notably, 2 Republicans successful Pennsylvania, Reps. Scott Perry and Ryan Mackenzie, are expecting to look fierce fights to clasp onto their seats.

Khanna precocious said the party's absorption is to triumph backmost power of the House, which has a Republican majority.

"We person already a fig of large candidates for 2028 that’ll emerge, but close present the absorption has to beryllium to instrumentality backmost the House successful presumption of governmental priority," Khanna told nationalist media enactment WHYY.

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