Democrats eyeing 2028 split on how to tackle Trump

• After Trump's surprise victory in 2016, many Democrats moved left and united under a "resistance" banner.
• This time, there's no consensus on strategy — and prominent Democrats already are taking different paths.

Driving the news: Potential 2028 contenders such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis have been foremost in touting their bipartisan bonafides, positioning themselves as pragmatic, center-left leaders.

• Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and JB Pritzker of Illinois have opted for a more aggressive approach — regularly picking fights with the new administration and proposing progressive legislation.

Zoom in: In recent weeks, Whitmer has touted that she sent National Guard troops to the border to combat illegal immigration, and said she's open to some new tariffs to protect industry.

• She also declined to join a multistate federal lawsuit challenging Trump's push to ban birthright citizenship, even though Michigan's Democratic attorney general is involved in the suit.
• In a much-touted "Road Ahead" speech at the Detroit Auto Show in January, Whitmer said that "in the Whitmer house, compromise was a good thing … "I won't go looking for fights … but I won't back down from them, either."

Whitmer has proposed a new payroll tax cut for Michiganders and split from some Democrats who've proposed electric vehicle mandates.

• "We don't care what you drive — ICE [internal combustion engines], hybrid, or EV — we just care that it's made right here in Michigan, by Michigan workers," she said.

In his State of the State address, Colorado's Polis said he hopes Congress can give a pathway to citizenship for some groups of undocumented immigrants.

• But Polis also said he hopes Trump and Congress "work together quickly to secure the border, stop human trafficking and stop the illegal flow of guns and drugs ... We welcome more federal help to detain and deport dangerous criminals."
• Polis also backed Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be Health and Human Services secretary.
• Whitmer and Polis have criticized Trump on issues such as how he's approached tariffs — but they're not reflexively against everything he does.

The other side: Democrats such as Newsom, Pritzker and Murphy have argued that Democrats need to keep up the fight against Trump to protect people from his policies.

• In his State of the State speech Wednesday, Pritzker argued the current moment has disturbing parallels to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. He criticized those Democrats who think Trump will make an exception for those who don't speak up.
• "The seed that grew into a dictatorship in Europe a lifetime ago didn't arrive overnight," he said. "It started with everyday Germans mad about inflation and looking for someone to blame."

• "We don't have kings in America — and I don't intend to bend the knee to one. I am not speaking up in service to my ambitions, but in deference to my obligations."

The day after Trump won the 2024 election, Newsom called for a special legislative session in California to raise money to prepare to challenge Trump in the courts.

• On Feb. 7, Newsom signed a law allocating $50 million to bolster state and local legal groups preparing to challenge Trump's moves on immigration, the climate and more.
• Newsom added in a signing statement that said, "None of the funding in this bill is intended to be used for immigration-related legal services for noncitizens convicted of serious or violent felonies."

Zoom out: Other possible 2028 contenders have taken more of a wait-and-see approach — picking a few fights without mounting an all-out resistance.

• This group includes Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland and Andy Beshear of Kentucky.
• Shapiro and Beshear have joined lawsuits against the Trump administration, but also have said they're looking to find places of common ground.
• Moore has been critical of Trump's attempt to slash broad parts of the federal government, but he also told CNN recently: "I'm not the leader of the resistance. I'm the governor of Maryland."