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Is America ready for a woman in the White House?
For Democrats still healing from 2024’s shattering loss, it’s a fraught question — and the answer depends on who you ask.
Count Michelle Obama in the “no” column. In November, she said America wasn’t ready for a female president. This week, she expanded on the topic, telling podcaster Alex Cooper, “There were men out there that were not going to vote for a woman.” The former first lady did add that she would love to be proved wrong.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who’s been a fixture on most Democratic lists of potential 2028 nominees, sounded a more optimistic note.
“We have not had a woman president yet. I think we will at some point in the near future,” Whitmer, who has sought to tamp down the presidential speculation, said in an interview with NPR that aired this week.
2020 was a banner year for female Democratic presidential candidates, among them Kamala Harris and fellow Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Kirsten Gillibrand. But all fell short in their quest for the nomination, and only Whitmer and Harris are getting presidential buzz this time around.
As of now, the short list of possible 2028 candidates is dominated by men. On the Republican side, the early front-runner is Vice President JD Vance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the mix as well.
A poll released in October by the Women & Politics Institute at American University showed what female candidates are up against: 4 in 10 voters said they knew someone who wouldn’t vote for a woman as president. But there was encouraging news as well.
“Voter sentiment strongly favors increased female representation in politics, with a significant 83 percent believing it’s important to elect more women, and over half feeling there are currently too few women in office,” the survey found.
Starting gate
Bayou brawl brewing: Days after picking up President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Louisiana Rep. Julia Letlow jumped into the Senate race this week, setting up a primary battle with Republican incumbent Bill Cassidy. Her decision opens up a deep-red House seat in northeastern Louisiana that several prominent Republicans are said to be eyeing, including former Rep. Garret Graves. GOP state Sen. Rick Edmonds launched a campaign Wednesday.
#MNSEN: Former “NBC Sunday Night Football” reporter Michele Tafoya is running for the open Senate seat in Minnesota, giving Republicans a well-known candidate in a state where they haven’t won a statewide election in 20 years.
Redistricting roundup: A Maryland advisory commission voted to recommend a new congressional map that would favor Democrats in all eight of the state’s House districts. The proposal would need to be approved by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly. In neighboring Virginia, the legislature approved a constitutional amendment that would allow for mid-decade redistricting, setting up a special election for voters to weigh in as soon as this spring. In New York, a state judge ruled that the boundaries of the 11th District, held by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, violated the state constitution, our colleague Michael Macagnone reported. While the ruling is likely to be appealed, the judge ordered New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission to draw a new map by Feb. 6. And opponents of California’s new congressional map have asked the Supreme Court to block it, as Michael also reported.
Golden State special: In a move that complicates matters for House Republicans dealing with their slim majority, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has set the special election to serve out the remaining term of the late Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa for Aug. 4, the latest date possible under state law. The seat could get filled earlier should a candidate take more than 50 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary. Republican state Assemblyman James Gallagher and Democratic educator Audrey Denney are running in the special election, which will be held under the district’s current lines.
Political theater: Mary Ellen joined Roll Call Editor-in-Chief Jason Dick on the Political Theater podcast to discuss the news-heavy first few weeks of 2026 and which stories could be meaningful in November.
ICYMI
SLF’s Maine millions: The Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with GOP leaders in the chamber, has announced an initial $42 million investment in Maine, backing incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. The group’s executive director, Alex Latcham, said in a statement that Collins’ “record of effective service ensures that Maine has a voice in Washington.” Meanwhile, SLF’s sister group, One Nation, launched a separate $5.5 million campaign Thursday with an ad touting Collins’ work to protect Maine’s water supply.
Boosting Morris: Billionaire Elon Musk is making a big investment in Kentucky’s open Senate race. Axios reports that Musk has donated $10 million to a super PAC backing Republican Nate Morris. The businessman is battling Rep. Andy Barr and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron for the GOP nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell.
#FLSEN: Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon has joined the Democratic primary to challenge Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in a state that has drifted away from Democrats in recent elections.
Endorsements (Republican edition): Alabama Rep. Barry Moore has won Trump’s coveted endorsement for his Senate bid to succeed fellow Republican Tommy Tuberville, who’s running for governor. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is backing Abraham Enriquez, the founder of a conservative Hispanic advocacy group, in the busy GOP primary for the 19th District. Abbott also endorsed conservative activist Jace Yarbrough in the 32nd District, redrawn to be safely Republican.
Endorsements (Democratic edition): In the Democratic primary for Colorado’s battleground 8th District, state Rep. Manny Rutinel has the support of former Sen. and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, while state Rep. Shannon Bird won an endorsement from former Rep. David Skaggs. In New York, Rep. Pat Ryan endorsed Cait Conley in the crowded Democratic primary to take on Republican Mike Lawler in the neighboring 17th District. And in Massachusetts, former Gov. Deval Patrick threw his support behind Democrat Patrick Roath, a former speechwriter and aide, in his primary battle against Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.
#TXSEN: Defend the Vote, a pro-democracy group that has committed to spending $14 million in the 2026 midterm elections, is backing Texas state Rep. James Talarico in the Senate race. Talarico faces Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary.
Campaign launches: Commercial fisherman and educator Bill Hill is challenging Republican freshman Nick Begich for Alaska’s at-large House seat as an independent. Hill joins a primary field that includes Anchorage pastor Matt Schultz, a Democrat. All candidates run on the same primary ballot in Alaska, with the top four advancing to the general election. In Connecticut, firefighter and retired Navy SEAL Chris Shea has joined the GOP field in the 5th District to take on Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes.
Ad watch: The NRSC released an ad featuring New Hampshire Senate hopeful John Sununu going after likely Democratic nominee Rep. Chris Pappas.
Guv roundup: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar filed paperwork Thursday for a potential gubernatorial run. She’s expected to announce her plans “in the coming days,” a source close to the Democrat told Twin Cities ABC affiliate KSTP. Former Nebraska state Sen. Lynne Walz, a Democrat, launched her campaign for governor this week, challenging Republican incumbent Jim Pillen. Walz’s husband is a distant cousin of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Nebraska Examiner reported. In Oregon, state Rep. Ed Diehl has joined the crowded GOP primary to take on Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. In Minnesota, Attorney General Keith Ellison has decided against a gubernatorial run this year, opting to seek reelection instead. Also spurning a run for governor is California billionaire and former Los Angeles mayoral hopeful Rick Caruso, who won’t be making another bid for mayor either in 2026.
Nathan’s notes
An endorsement from Trump is nearly always the only one that matters in a Republican primary. So for GOP hopefuls, is it still worth soliciting support from local elected officials and outside groups?
Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales posed that question to a batch of veteran Republican campaign operatives to learn about their approach to endorsements in primaries in this day and age. The short answer: Yes, it does. But it depends.
What we’re reading
Wearing two hats: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has picked up an unusual side hustle: serving as Trump’s special envoy to Greenland. The Louisiana Illuminator looks at how the former congressman’s twin roles are playing in his home state.
Optics in a goblet: The New York Times examines the political currency of wine — from the assertion that “organized gangs of wine moms” are leading the protests against federal immigration agents to the attacks on the “Brie and Chablis” crowd as out-of-touch liberals.
Trone staffs up: The Baltimore Sun reports that former Rep. David Trone is filling up his campaign staff for his comeback bid in Maryland’s 6th District with lots of familiar faces from his past campaigns. Some of them also worked for Rep. April McClain Delaney, whom Trone is now challenging in the Democratic primary.
Lone Star lag: Texas Democrats looking for a statewide breakthrough are expected to have a well-funded nominee for Senate. But, so far at least, it’s a different story for other state-level races, The Texas Tribune reports, with Democratic candidates vastly outraised by Republicans in what is an expensive state to run in.
The count: 16
That’s how many years it’s been since a House member defeated a sitting U.S. senator in a Senate primary.
In 2010, retired three-star Adm. Joe Sestak, then a second-term congressman from Pennsylvania, denied the commonwealth’s senior senator, Arlen Specter, the Democratic nomination as he sought a seventh term.
Specter, who had returned to his original Democratic affiliation a year earlier after more than four decades as a Republican, wasn’t able to win over an electorate looking for change and a more reliable Democrat, losing to Sestak by 8 points.
In Louisiana this year, Letlow is hoping to have similar success in her challenge to Cassidy. Crucially, she launched her campaign with the public support of Trump, who has carried the state three times with at least 58 percent of the vote.
Sestak went on to lose the general election to Republican Patrick J. Toomey by 2 points, as Senate Democrats lost a net of six seats in the 2010 midterms.
Louisiana isn’t nearly as competitive as Pennsylvania, so the winner of this year’s Republican Senate primary would be a near-lock to get sworn in next January.
— by Roll Call’s Ryan Kelly
Coming up
Trump heads to Iowa on Tuesday to deliver a speech focused on the economy and energy, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told reporters this week. The president is ramping up his domestic travel schedule this year to help sell his economic agenda and help Republicans defend their majorities in Congress.
Photo finish
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The post At the Races: Ready for Madam President? appeared first on Roll Call.
