Why was this Arizona senator at the Iowa State Fair?

Over the weekend, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., traveled to Iowa in what could be a prelude to a presidential run in 2028. The first-time Arizona senator didn’t exactly deny the rumors about his ambitions for the White House.

His event, described as “upbeat” by The Associated Press, comes at a time when the Democratic Party doesn’t have a clear leader or message. Gallego attempted to supply a solution to both those lingering questions while countering the Trump agenda. Specifically, he took aim at the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” saying the cuts to Medicaid and social safety nets would make America “sicker and poorer” at a town hall in eastern Iowa.

Of course, he isn’t the only one pushing against the current administration. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is leading Democratic lawmakers in his state to change the congressional boundaries in response to the new map in Texas, as the Deseret News reported.

Newsom’s actually fighting two battles right now. The other is over immigration after President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to California despite Newsom’s protests.

But Gallego is more focused on the bigger picture right now and offers the party a way forward.

“There’s no governing coalition until we start winning here,” the Arizona senator told The New York Times. “And we know how to do it. I know how to get the message to do it. So I’m here to, most of all, encourage the Democratic Party, because they feel a little down right now here.”

Is Gallego running in 2028?

When a local news outlet asked whether he is considering running for president, Gallego confessed he had “been prepped” to answer the question.

“Too early,” the Arizona senator said before laying out his more immediate priorities, like working to secure wins in the House and the Senate.

His 7-week-old son, his third child, will also be a big focus of his life.

Gallego declined to rule out a presidential bid, saying anything could “happen in the next couple of years, right?”

The Iowa State Fair typically attracts presidential candidates who loosen their ties and charm voters with their personality while eating deep fried foods on a stick.

In Gallego’s case, it was an egg on a stick. Although it’s a staple at this state fair, the Arizona senator said it could use some salsa.

He witnessed the butter cow, walked the fairgrounds, answered questions from reporters and flipped a few pork burgers while wearing a Marines hat, as the Des Moines Register notes.

His travel plans don’t end in Iowa. He will jet off to New Hampshire, traditionally the first state to hold the presidential primaries, on Aug. 22. According to WMUR, there, he will attend the Politics & Eggs breakfast, another must stop for presidential candidates, a town hall and a fundraiser.

Earlier this year, he visited Pennsylvania, a key swing state.

During his time in Congress, his decisions have been a sharp contrast to that of his Democratic colleagues. For instance, he is tougher on border security and leans on his working-class background to connect to voters. He often talks about holding several kinds of jobs, from cook to janitor, to support his family, as he did when speaking to workers at a pork processing plant.

“A lot of the people that aren’t voting for Democrats or who voted for Trump, they just feel we’re not there,” Gallego told the Times. That’s why he is in red districts, trying to meet people where they are at.

Other 2028 hopefuls drawing buzz

Another potential candidate, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, made headlines over the weekend.

In conversation with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press,” Pritzker said he is “focused on running for reelection as governor.”

But, he added, “I can’t rule anything out, but what I can rule in is that no matter what decisions I make, and I mean in particular about what I do here in the state of Illinois, is about the people of Illinois,” as The Hill reported.

Republicans are also keeping an eye out for Trump’s successor.

The term-limited president jokes about running and serving another term, but, in May, he proposed national security adviser and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance as his possible successors.

Other Republicans drawing attention right now are “Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas,” as per the Times.