Former Obama aide says more than two dozen Democrats are eyeing 2028

A former senior aide to President Barack Obama says more than two dozen Democrats are already looking at a 2028 presidential run. Jim Messina told the BBC that he has spoken with “over two dozen campaigns,” and that some of them are already hiring staff.

Messina linked that early activity to Democratic victories in the midterm elections. The BBC report, which Newzly is drawing on, presents his account of those conversations as the basis for the claim. It does not publish a roster of the people or organizations he says he has contacted.

The comments put a number on a familiar early phase of a presidential cycle: private soundings, staff recruitment and quiet assessments of whether a bid is viable. Hiring is a concrete step, but it is not the same as a formal announcement, a campaign filing or a decision to run.

Because the BBC account does not name the campaigns, it is not possible from this report alone to say who is included, how far along any effort is, or whether every conversation Messina described will become a candidacy. His figure describes the volume of outreach he says he has had, not a public field of declared candidates.

Messina is identified in the report as a former Obama aide. In that role he is a longtime Democratic strategist whose read on the party’s internal maneuvering is of interest to donors, operatives and potential rivals. His remarks are one insider’s account, offered to the BBC, rather than an official party tally.

The timing he describes matters because the next presidential election is still well ahead, and large early fields have become common in both parties. Interest this far out often reflects ambition, fundraising calculations and a desire to lock in talent before rivals do. It can also fade once polls, money and the primary calendar force choices.

For Democrats, a wide set of possible contenders would shape debates over message, geography and how the party interprets its midterm results. A crowded early conversation can surface new voices. It can also divide donors and staff before voters have a ballot in front of them. None of those outcomes is settled by Messina’s comments.

The report’s limited detail is itself part of the story. “Over two dozen” is a broad count, and “some” already hiring is a partial one. Without names, it is unclear how many of those efforts are serious explorations and how many are preliminary talks that may go no further.

What happens next will show up in public steps the BBC story does not yet record: exploratory committees, staff announcements, early-state travel and, later, formal entries into the race. Those moves, not private conversations alone, are what turn interest into a campaign.

Until more of the people Messina referred to speak for themselves, his interview remains an early signal rather than a lineup. The only firm claims in the BBC account are his: more than two dozen campaigns have been in touch with him after Democratic midterm wins, and some of them are already bringing on staff.