Dems' 2028 primary is coming for hopefuls' partners, too
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Lori Shapiro, left, Chasten Buttigieg, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Alexis Lewis Booker, Doug Emhoff and MK Pritzker. Photos: Patrick van Katwijk/Getty Images, Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images, Mario Tama/Getty Images, Bobby Bank/Getty Images, Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images, Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
The dozen-plus Democrats with White House ambitions aren't the only ones gearing up for the 2028 campaign slog: Political foes now see spouses as fair game, so potential candidates' partners are prepping for the vitriol — in wildly different ways.
Why it matters: Would-be first ladies and first gentlemen already are building public profiles — some with vigorous enthusiasm, others not so much.
Driving the news: The partners with the sharpest contrast in their approaches are Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Lori Shapiro — the wives of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, respectively.
- Siebel Newsom is very public-facing, frequently opines on political issues, gets in spats with the press, and is active on social media. Lori Shapiro rarely talks politics and became a bit more present on social media only after the 2024 election.
When then-President Biden dropped his reelection bid in 2024 and Josh Shapiro briefly considered a move for the Democratic nomination, he could sense his wife was "full of trepidation," he wrote in his recent book, "Where We Keep the Light."
- Shapiro recounts Lori telling him: "I don't think we are ready to do this. It's not the right time for our family. And it's not on our terms."
- Shapiro also wrote that Kamala Harris' vetting team told him that Lori was "going to have to get all new clothes and pay for people to do her hair and makeup" — remarks he considered "nasty."
Siebel Newsom, who goes by first partner of California rather than first lady, frequently weighs in on political issues — especially those specific to women.
- She's promoting her new documentary, "Miss Representation: Rise Up," which premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival in June.
- She has more than 325,000 followers on Instagram. (Lori Shapiro has about 8,000.)
Siebel Newsom's more public approach has brought more scrutiny, along with attacks from Republicans who've been digging through her public remarks looking for ways to undermine a potential Newsom campaign for president.
- Anonymous right-wing accounts on X have posted several old videos of Siebel Newsom in recent weeks, which have racked up millions of views and been played across conservative media.
- One viral video features her talking about changing protagonists from male to female in children's books she has read to her sons "because I want them to see that women can be the center of a story."
Zoom out: Other spouses of potential contenders have established political roles that generally fall between Siebel Newsom's and Lori Shapiro's.
- Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly's wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, is frequently by his side at political events.
- His political operation is intertwined with her group that focuses on preventing gun violence.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's wife, MK (Mary Kathryn) Muenster Pritzker, is a political and philanthropic force, though somewhat behind the scenes.
- She was a director of the Pritzker Family Foundation from 2002 to 2017, doling out tens of millions of dollars for programs aimed at helping at-risk children and other groups.
- She contributes to candidates, including last fall to Maine Senate contender Janet Mills, whom her husband hasn't endorsed in that contentious primary.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker's wife, Alexis Lewis Booker, has been present during his recent book tour.
- She also posts frequently on social media. Some conservatives blasted her for a recent video in which she said she was worried about Booker's safety when he delivered a record-breaking 25-hour speech on the Senate floor last year.
- Spokespeople for Newsom, Shapiro, Booker and Pritzker declined to comment or didn't respond to requests for one.
The husbands of potential candidates also are navigating their public personas.
- Both Chasten Glezman Buttigieg (husband of former Transportation Secretary Pete) and former second gentleman Doug Emhoff (Harris' husband) have largely been in the background — except to promote their partners on social media.
The other side: It's not just in the Democratic side where marriages become political.
- Second lady Usha Vance has faced racist attacks from right-wingers because she's Indian American.
- Vice President Vance, who has a new book coming in June about his conversion to Catholicism, got headlines last year when he said he hoped Usha, who is Hindu, would convert to Christianity.
Flashback: Political spouses have at times been considered off-limits in campaign combat, but there are past examples of brutal attacks.
- In 1828, Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel, was repeatedly attacked as a bigamist and adulteress by supporters of John Quincy Adams. One newspaper called her a "fat dumpling."
- The venom took a toll. A few weeks after Jackson won the 1828 election, Rachel fell ill and died. Jackson blamed his political enemies for her death.
