Democratic strategist James Carville said Thursday the next White House occupant will be a Democrat following the 2028 election.
In the latest episode of his “Politics War Room” podcast with co-host Al Hunt, Carville answered a listener question 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 forecast that Democrats, running the executive and legislative branches of government, will attempt to expand the Supreme Court from nine members 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 whom 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. “He’s a little better [of a] communicator.”
The strategist added Newsom is “certainly one of the front-runners,” 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?’ … 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 leader was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, at 19 percent.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s 2024 nominee, placed fourth at 11 percent, behind Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) 14 percent.
