Democratic strategist James Carville on Thursday said the next White House occupant will be a Democrat following the 2028 election.
In the latest episode of his podcast “Politics War Room” with co-host Al Hunt where they answered listeners’ questions, Carville answered one by saying he’s going to “bet a lot of money” on his 2028 prediction.
“I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen,” Carville said. “A Democrat is going to be elected in 2028. You know that. I know that. There’s going to be a Democratic House, there’s going to be a Democratic Senate. The Democratic president is going to announce a special transition advisory committee on the reform of the Supreme Court.”
Carville also forecasted that Democrats, running the executive and legislative branches of government, will attempt to expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13.
“They’re going to pass it and a Democratic president is going to sign it,” Carville theorized. “Because they have to do an intervention so we can have a Supreme Court that the American people trust again. So just keep that in the back of your mind. I would bet a lot of many that that’s going to happen.”
A follow-up question for Carville and Hunt asked who California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), a presumptive 2028 presidential candidate, should choose to be his running mate. Hunt said it’s “a long way to go” until the election but said Newsom should pick “someone of some balance.”
“You know, he’s been very opportunistic in a way that Democrats like,” Carville said in his answer. “He’s a little better [of a] communicator.”
The strategist added that Newsom is “certainly one of the frontrunners,” more “substantial” and likely not to “flame out” should he run.
“When people come, it’s going to be all about winnability,” Carville said. “And people are going to say, ‘You represent a state that you can’t lose. Why don’t we go with a guy like from Kentucky where if we lose by 20 and he wins by five.’ That will be a convincing argument.”
Hunt replied that an advantage Newsom will have by 2028 is that he will no longer be California’s governor, as he will leave office in 2027 due to term limits.
A recent poll from the University of New Hampshire ranked Newsom second, with 15 percent support, among 2028 Democratic possibilities. That poll’s frontrunner was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, at 19 percent.
Though 2024 Democratic nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris placed among the top contenders in that poll, she was behind some others and found herself in the fourth spot at 11 percent. Harris was behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at 14 percent.
