Dems weighing 2028 campaigns run from 2020 positions

Democratic leaders positioning themselves for 2028 presidential runs are distancing themselves from the left-leaning positions they held in 2020, hoping to appeal to voters who rejected the party in 2024. California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed Democrats need to be more "culturally normal" despite using the term "Latinx" in 2020, while Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro now says Democrats "got the masking and vaccine mandates wrong" during COVID — positions he defended in court as state attorney general at the time. The strategic repositioning spans border security, DEI programs, police funding, and climate policy, with few Democrats calling for a restoration of diversity initiatives that the Trump administration has dismantled. However, the party's mixed messaging persists: some Democrats have moved left on tech regulation and Israel criticism, while figures like Bernie Sanders remain influential, complicating efforts to chart a unified center-ward course. The contradictions undercut Democratic efforts to clarify their platform ahead of midterm and 2028 races.