Former Vice President Kamala, seen speaking at an event in San Francisco in April, delivered a major address on Friday at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting, which was held in Los Angeles. (Camille Cohen/AFP via Getty Images)
But with the unofficial start of the next White House race less than a year away, and what's likely to be a bruising battle among Democrats over the party's presidential nominating calendar getting underway, 2028 was also in the spotlight.
"Obviously, we must focus on the midterms," Harris said in her Friday speech. "But Democrats, we must also have a clear vision for what comes after the midterms. And then after Trump. We need to answer the question. We need to answer the question: what comes next for our party and our democracy?"
Harris argued that "both parties have failed to hold the public's trust" and that "people are done with the status quo, and they're ready to break things to force change."
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And Harris, who was swept by President Donald Trump in all key battleground states in the 2024 election, said that Trump is representative of a bigger problem plaguing the nation's politics.
"He and the rise of the MAGA movement, I believe, are a symptom of a failed system that is the result of years of outsourcing and offshoring, financial deregulation, growing income inequality, a broken campaign finance system and endless partisan gridlock all contributing to how we got here today," she emphasized.
"The vice president received a very warm and enthusiastic reception," a committee member told Fox News Digital.
And when she alluded to who would be in contention for the 2028 nomination, some in the room shouted, "You."
According to those in the room, Harris also landed a warm welcome less than 24 hours earlier as she spoke at the United Farm Workers annual gala.
Expect to see more of Harris in the new year, helping Democrats from coast to coast as the party works to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.
And Harris has added more 2026 stops to her book tour promoting "107 Days," her reflections on her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign. Among the stops is one in South Carolina, a crucial early-voting primary state in the Democratic Party's presidential nominating calendar.
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While Newsom didn't address the delegates at Friday's general session, he was treated like a VIP on Thursday as he held meetings and mingled with delegates during the opening day of the winter meeting.
A DNC committee member who witnessed the commotion told Fox News Digital, "Newsom received a rock star reception as he was mobbed by party leaders and activists alike while he attempted to walk from meeting to meeting."
Newsom on Thursday met with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, and Nevada, another crucial early voting state.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, seen attending a Veterans Day ceremony in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood on Nov. 11, 2025, held a major fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee, on the sidlelines of its winter meeting, in Los Angeles on Thursday. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital confirmed that the billionaire governor helped raise over $1 million for the DNC at a fundraiser Thursday night.
A DNC insider said the appearances by Harris, Newsom and Pritzker gave "them an opportunity to start honing in on a winning message for Democrats in 2028."
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There are more than a dozen other Democrats thought to be potential 2028 White House contenders. And most of them have also been paying visits to the early voting states, as well as parachuting onto the 2025 campaign trail.
Among them are Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former Chicago mayor and former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democratic-heavyweights-harris-newsom-turn-heads-fuel-2028-speculation