Riding recent polling momentum and a string of off-cycle electoral victories, Democratic governors descended into the Arizona desert over the weekend, talking like leaders of a party on the upswing — even if a mood of anxiety lingered close under the surface, with direct attacks from the Trump administration on their states and on upcoming elections hanging in the balance.

At the Democratic Governors Association’s annual Winter meeting at the Arizona Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, some of the brightest leaders of the party touted the “affordability” message that recently resonated with a coalition of voters across left-leaning New York City to suburban moderates in New Jersey and Virginia, while also sounding the alarm over a White House moving aggressively to tilt the rules of the road before 2026 and beyond.

It could be early enough in the 2028 cycle for these Democrats — some of the party’s most ambitious — to start splintering, sharpening the differences amongst themselves ahead of a primary. But it doesn’t seem like the time yet. 

“I think we had big wins this year, because our candidates recognize, I think —  what we recognize: that people aren’t as political as many people think that they are,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, the new Chair of the DGA, said on Saturday, outlining the group’s plans to expand the gubernatorial map past the 23 seats they currently hold and reclaim the majority of governorships for the first time in nearly two decades. 

“I believe that if we continue to show the American people that we are for them, and we recognize the challenges that they face in the immediacy of them, that we understand that the American dream feels like it is unattainable… We’ll start winning in places we haven’t for a long time,” Beshear said. “We’re going to flip some seats, some places that you expect us to compete like Georgia and Nevada, and places that you might not — like Iowa.”

Among the group of nearly 50 Democratic governors and gubernatorial candidates gathered in Arizona with some of the party’s top donors and operatives, many who spoke with ABC News took various approaches to tackling hot-button party issues like redistricting and messaging on the economy and democracy. Meanwhile, they appeared united in their commitment to leveraging power in order to maintain the status quo amid upheaval and attacks from the White House. 

At a time when the Democratic Party struggles with identity issues that have contributed to a widespread loss of power, Democratic governors have proved to be a bright spot for the party; with their state-level executive leadership and expanding donor base acting as a unique barrier to Republican inroads.  

“What was fun this year was the enthusiasm — not even just from the people across the two states (New Jersey and Virginia) — but from our donor group and people interested. We’ve just seen a real growth in the number of business entities, advocacy groups were interested in what Democratic governors are doing and ensuring that we elect more Democratic governors,” outgoing DGA Chair Laura Kelly of Kansas said. 

Could a governor be the Democratic nominee in 2028? 

This strong executive leadership has contributed to a healthy amount of 2028 primary buzz. 

“Not only do I think it should be — it will be,” Kelly said, when asked if she thought the 2028 Democratic nominee would be a governor. “I can’t see it going any other way, when you just look at the party, governors, Congress, wherever. The real leadership is coming out of the ranks of the governors.”

Over the weekend, positioning ahead of 2028 did come up among likely candidates, even if demurred. 

“Who knows?” Whitmer, the newly elected vice chair of the DGA, exclaimed on Saturday when asked if she’d seek the nomination. 

“Any one of my colleagues would be a phenomenal candidate and would be able to beat who I think is going to be the standard bearer in the current vice president. So my money is on a Democratic governor to be the next president.”

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom cast his trip to Arizona as less about 2028 shadow politics than about protecting the party’s basic map. Fundraising, and lots of it, is part of that, he argued. “Sorry, the quiet part out loud,” he said about fundraising. “This organization can do extraordinary things when it has your back.”

Newsom avoided a question about his own ambitions for 2028, instead moving to talk about the reality that President Donald Trump will still be the kingmaker in the next presidential race. 

“I still think that the competing narrative of Trump and his incapacity to get off that stage, even if he chooses not to run as he believes he’s entitled to a third term, will confound that,” Newsom said. “But I think we’re all, I, at least, all my Republican friends, are looking forward to taking a deep breath. It’s [been] a long decade since that escalator,” he added. 

The meeting in Phoenix made clear that Democrats feel momentum, but also see a narrow, fast-moving window in which to turn it into power. 

Their challenge now is to run two races at once: one against an administration that is not-so-subtly manipulating political terrain through redistricting and the issue of election integrity, and another against one another for relevance, donors, and position in the early architecture of 2028.

“This guy’s not screwing around. They’re not screwing around,” Newsom said about Trump and the Republican Party. Without holding the line in 2026, Democrats won’t have the ability to compete in 2028, he argued. 

“And so I don’t think there’ll be a free, fair election… in 2028 unless we’re successful in 2026. So, I’m here in the spirit of 2026, not for any other reason, here at the DGA, and the imperative for the Democratic Governors Association to be part of that process of renewal and repair,” Newsom said. 

Democrats seize on an ‘affordability’ message

Democrats wielded the newly popular theme of “affordability” in different ways. With some emphasizing it as a lens for a nationwide battle against the Trump administration, others leaned into it as a kitchen-table message to skirt larger rule-of-law and democracy issues that dominated elite Democratic politics. 

“You know, a time of anxiety, a time where people really need leadership, so we can hold the line and stay on the line,” Newsom said. “The front lines are states. And so governors matter. The redistricting governors matter.”

“And back to my defense of, or my argument in favor of, my party’s approach to affordability. I mean, I don’t know how the hell you can make a case for tariff policy, how the hell you can defend a mass deportation labor shortage in defense of an affordability agenda?… And that’s right now the cudgel around the Republican Party’s neck, and that’s their party… that’s literally their record,” Newsom added.

But not everyone was eager to recenter the conversation on Trump or existential battles. 

Some of the strongest recent Democratic performers, like Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, who won her New Jersey race by drilling relentlessly into kitchen-table issues, signaled that the affordability lane is one Democrats should intend to keep clear.

“You can’t just say, ‘Oh, I’m so upset that Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House,’” Sherrill said, pushing back on outrage she believes voters tune out. “What you have to say is, look, there is a tariff regime… enriching the President… and you’re paying more for everything from your cup of coffee to the groceries you buy for dinner.”

Democrats on offense  

Similar to other congressional races held this year, the Tennessee special election last week tilted sharply in the Democratic Party’s direction compared with the results of 2024. 

For Florida gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who is running statewide for a seat that hasn’t been occupied by a Democrat in over 30 years, he’s looking at the Tennessee race and momentum from what’s expected to be a tight Miami Mayoral runoff race next week as an indicator that he might see success in 2026. 

“I think a Democrat might win the Miami mayorship next Tuesday for the first time in 30 years,” Jolly said. “I think the Miami mayor’s race has already impacted our governor’s race because it affirmed the amount of change that’s already there.” 

“What I get excited about in Florida, in a state where we are underwater by a million for voter registrations, we still have a third of the state who are independents, and we have disaffected Republicans. So if the Democrats can build a coalition and win the governorship, we will have built a political coalition that this country hasn’t seen,” Jolly said. 

In Arizona, there appeared to be a renewed sense of optimism among red-state and battleground gubernatorial candidates like Jolly, ready to fight amidst the Democratic Party’s new “big-tent” embrace. 

“Leading with a bold vision,” Wisconsin Democrat Mandela Barnes told ABC News when asked what makes him distinct as a candidate. “Not waiting for Republicans to define us and being on the forefront of change for people across the entire country.” 

Barnes is also bullish on his support for redistricting in the state, something his predecessor, Tony Evers, has said he wouldn’t touch. When asked by ABC News, he was open to redrawing maps in Wisconsin. Barnes said that “open is an understatement,” calling for the map to be redrawn so that Democrats pick up two seats. 

In Iowa, gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, the only statewide elected Democrat, said he’s been doing the work to bridge the gap between parties in his state so that he can unify the electorate. 

“Iowa has shifted from a visibly purple state to an invisibly purple state. It is still purple,” Sand told ABC News, fresh off his town-hall tour across every county in the state. “I don’t think about where I fit in the Democratic Party. I’m not interested in fitting into a party. I’m interested in saying what I believe, fighting for what I believe in, and trying to serve the people of the state of Iowa.”