Tipsheet

The Democrats' Plan for 2028 Is a Magical Misery Tour

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  March 23, 2026 9:00 AM

Remember when Kamala Harris campaigned on joy? That didn't work too well for her, so it seems that Democrats have decided to lean into being miserable, as they discuss ways to make all or lives miserable.

No, really.

That's their strategy for the 2028 primaries: they plan to lean into their childhood trauma and familial dysfunction.

Here's more:

Some potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates are introducing themselves to voters in a striking way: by documenting their childhood resentments, family chaos and fights with their parents.

Why it matters: Many presidential hopefuls carry painful memories from complicated childhoods. But few have discussed them as openly as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

  • Their frankness about their formative years and family dynamics is a way to shape their public stories before journalists do. It's also a sign of shifting taboos and a growing desire for candidates to appear relatable to voters.

Driving the news: In preparing for potential 2028 campaigns, the governors have opened up about how their difficult relationships with their parents still shape them.

This strategy might work if some of the leading Democrats, including Josh Shapiro, J.B. Pritzker, and Gavin Newsom, didn't have privileged upbringings. Even Shapiro, who wasn't wealthy, was the child of a pediatrician and a school teacher. Pritzker and Newsom were wealthy and well-connected.

This is accurate.

It's also not going to play well if Vice President Vance runs, given his actual impoverished and difficult childhood. 

This would explain why Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was attacking Vice President Vance the other day. As the others mentioned, Beshear grew up politically connected and well-to-do.

"I will fix all your problems, though."

That's the Democrats' pitch: we're just as messed up as you are, but we'll make things better for you. Somehow.

That's not a shift for the better.

It is the sign of civilizational psychopathy.

Misery, after all, loves company.

It is going to be very fun watching the privileged, spoiled Democrats face off against Vice President Vance, who grew up dirt poor in Appalachia, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose family fled the oppression of communism in Cuba while the Democrats pretend they had the hard lives.

Good luck with this.