Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has a plan that could give him an edge in the 2028 presidential primary: Engineer a blowout for his state's Democrats in next year's midterms to prove he can turn the electoral college's biggest battleground blue again.

💪 Why it matters: Shapiro has quietly and methodically tightened his grip on Pennsylvania's Democratic machine in recent months — recruiting key congressional candidates, clearing the field for them and remaking the state party.

• The moves, insiders say, are designed to maximize Democratic wins — and position Shapiro as the party's most electable presidential contender.
• Next year's election map gives Shapiro plenty of opportunities: He's up for a second term and aiming to help flip as many as four congressional seats in Pennsylvania.

💦 Between the lines: Shapiro needs to make a big splash if he decides to run for president, as virtually every top Democratic official in Pennsylvania expects.

• He's only at 4% in early 2028 primary polls, despite a robust national media strategy and his considerable popularity in a must-win swing state that President Trump carried last year.

What they're saying: "Governor Shapiro is going to work hard to elect people who are going to fight for Pennsylvanians and defeat those who are making their lives harder," Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said.

• "In 2026, Pennsylvania will be at the center of putting a stop to [GOP policies] by flipping the House."

Zoom in: Shapiro has been more engaged in electoral politics than in past years, shaking up a moribund state party and wading into congressional primaries.

• He previously kept his distance from the state's Democratic Party, which had struggled to raise money and faced intra-party accusations of incompetence.
• Shapiro essentially launched a rescue mission, nudging the state committee chair to step aside and encouraging an ally, former state auditor general Eugene DePasquale, to take over.
• Shapiro installed a longtime aide, Larry Hailsham Jr., as the state party's executive director.

Behind the scenes: Shapiro also has privately shaped congressional primaries — a departure from his normally risk-averse style.

• He intervened after state and national Democrats grew worried this year about the party's crowded primary to take on Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a vulnerable first-term member.
• Shapiro encouraged firefighters union leader Bob Brooks to jump into the race against Mackenzie, according to two people familiar with their conversations, even after EMILYs List and the former Democratic congresswoman in the area backed another candidate.

Shapiro also helped clear the Democratic field for former TV news anchor Janelle Stelson, who's challenging Republican Rep. Scott Perry in a rematch after coming within 1 percentage point of defeating him last year.

• The governor quietly has made clear that he backs Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti's run against GOP Rep. Rob Bresnahan, as well as Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie's challenge of Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, several sources said.
• Shapiro-approved candidates run across the party's ideological spectrum, from a Bernie Sanders-endorsed contender to more traditional Democrats — a notable coalition for the moderate governor ahead of 2028.

The other side: Republican Stacy Garrity, who's challenging Shapiro for governor, vows to complicate the incumbent's expected glide path to reelection and likely run for president.

• "The political graveyard is full of candidates who have miscalculated and have tried to run for multiple offices at the same time," said John Brabender, a Garrity strategist.

🖼️ The big picture: Earlier this year, Shapiro opened up somewhat about his ambitions, saying of a presidential run: "A year ago, when someone would say that to me, I quite candidly would just laugh." But now, "I hear them say it because they're scared about what's happening in D.C."

Keep reading.

— Holly Otterbein

Top South Carolina Democrats are courting social media influencers for help in persuading national party officials to pick the state to hold the nation's first presidential primary in 2028, Axios has learned.

Driving the news: South Carolina will host a "creator" briefing alongside the national party's meeting in Los Angeles this week — a reflection of the growing importance of Democrat-friendly influencers as the party seeks to recapture young voters from the GOP.

• 📆 It's part of an increasingly hot battle within the party over which states will get the earliest slots on the 2028 primary calendar — and likely have outsized sway in determining who wins the Democratic nomination.

Zoom in: Iowa and New Hampshire traditionally kicked off the primaries in both parties for decades, but then-President Biden moved to make South Carolina first in the Democrats' 2024 schedule.

• That was partly because he'd done well there in 2020, but his team also noted that South Carolina's population is more diverse — about 25% Black — arguing that it better represents the makeup of Democratic voters.

South Carolina Democrats tell Axios their "nationwide creator engagement strategy" will involve influencers in sports, lifestyle, politics and beyond to tout the state as the first 2028 primary host.

• "It's not business as usual anymore," said South Carolina Democratic Party chair Christale Spain. "A lot of our voters get their information" from influencers.

🥊 Zoom out: South Carolina will have significant competition.

• New Hampshire is furiously trying to win back its longtime status as the first-in-the-nation primary state after being dethroned last year. Its representatives met privately with DNC members in October, sources said.
• Nevada, another traditionally early primary state, is making a play for the coveted first slot as well, and other states — including Iowa — could throw their hats in the ring.

Keep reading.

— Holly Otterbein

A look at what potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders are up to:

• California Gov. Gavin Newsom, at the New York Times DealBook Summit, said Democrats should be "more culturally normal" — his latest move to moderate his image somewhat ahead of 2028. Newsom was also slammed by Halle Berry for the second time recently for vetoing a menopause care bill. The actress said he "probably should not be the next president."
• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro dropped his normally unflappable demeanor when the Atlantic asked him about former Vice President Harris' unflattering descriptions of him in her new book. Shapiro said Harris was "trying to sell books and cover her ass."
• New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker got married at a private interfaith ceremony in D.C. He and his wife, Alexis Lewis, celebrated with a vegan chocolate chip cookie dough cake.
• New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez headlined a digital rally for Aftyn Behn, the progressive congressional candidate who lost a special election this week but overperformed in a red Tennessee district. A friend of this newsletter noted that AOC, who's weighing a Senate or presidential run, recently made an appearance at a Hudson Valley festival.
• Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg waded into Minnesota's contested Senate primary, endorsing moderate Rep. Angie Craig over Bernie Sanders-backed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear hosted Rep. Jim Clyburn on his podcast, where the South Carolina kingmaker said Beshear gave "one of the best speeches ever" on the 60th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." Jim Messina, former President Obama's 2012 campaign manager, also praised Beshear in a Wall Street Journal profile.
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was lauded by a White House official as the Democrat "most willing to get things done" with President Trump. Unlike several Democrats who've consistently flamed Trump, Whitmer has gambled on a more pragmatic approach.
• California Rep. Ro Khanna, who has tried to cultivate an image as a bridge-builder between the populist left and right, was name-dropped by Vice President Vance as a Democrat he appreciates. "I think sometimes he's very annoying, but he also — he occasionally will say something interesting," Vance said.
• Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego released a campaign-style energy plan. The brash former Marine also vented in leaked private texts that Democrats "look like the not fun party" and that "Dem women look like Dem men and Dem men look like women." Gallego told a local ABC outlet that he's been "very clear about where I think the party needs to be" and is "sad" a friend released the messages.
• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore appeared on the sports-focused podcast "The Pivot" and said he's "thankful" to be the state's first Black governor but that it's a "larger indictment on our society" that it didn't happen before he was elected in 2022.
• Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly embraced his fight with President Trump, saying he "will not be intimidated" by the administration's investigation of him for being one of the lawmakers in a video telling military members they don't have to follow illegal orders.
• On Monday, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will be in Miami to campaign for Democratic mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins.
• On Thursday, Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock will hold a conversation in D.C. about "America's spiritual crisis."

Prediction markets — which in some recent elections have been more accurate in picking winners than many polls — already are taking bets on the 2028 election.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is viewed as the runaway leader for the Democratic nomination in this way-too-early snapshot. Polymarket bettors currently see Vice President Vance as the likely GOP nominee — and think a Democrat is more likely to win the election.