here's how much every 2028er has in the bank

After three straight big quarters, MARK KELLY is the new club leader in cash-on-hand. His team reports (via NYT’s Shane Goldmacher) that he’s given away $10 million to fellow Dems – including $2M to the DNC & $3.5M to the DSCC – which likely dwarfs the giving of every other Democrat on this list combined.

AOC continues to be the single biggest raiser in the House by a huge margin, and she raked in another $4.87M this quarter – bringing her to nearly $34M this cycle – with an average donation of just $16 and zero dollars in lobbyist or corporate PAC money, per her campaign manager.

CORY BOOKER & RO KHANNA (and to a lesser extent, CHRIS MURPHY) continue to be prolific fundraisers, but they also benefit from occupying safe seats, and have been stockpiling cash for multiple electoral cycles. RAPHAEL WARNOCK, RUBEN GALLEGO, & ELISSA SLOTKIN do not enjoy the same benefit, and their war chests reflect as much.

One campaign committee that apparently doesn’t want to (or legally can’t) talk about its finances is the DNC, which last reported $14.9M in the bank – and $18.3M in debt – vs. the RNC’s $126M. (I’m bad at math, help me: Is 126 more than -3.4?) Axios’s Holly Otterbein & Alex Thompson scoop that the DNC asked leadership to sign NDAs before a recent meeting about their finances. That should solve the problem, right?

Finally, below is a snapshot of leadership PAC & joint fundraising committee totals. For non-members like KAMALA HARRIS & PETE BUTTIGIEG, these PACs are the main vehicle for their campaigns-in-waiting. To my knowledge, JOSH SHAPIRO, WES MOORE, & JB PRITZKER – all of whom are running for reelection in 2026 – have not formed such entities. Unlike federal campaign accounts, they can’t port over their gubernatorial cash to a prez bid (bummer for Shapiro, who’s raised $50M this cycle!), but they can still use it to do things like pay staff, finance book tours, produce slick videos, etc.

2028 Primary Calendar Watch. 👀 📆 The DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet in DC on Thursday & Friday as they work to set a nominating calendar – which will include 4-5 early states – to be formally approved by the full DNC at their summer meeting in Austin, TX next month. So we may know a lot more about the shape of 2028 presidential primary by the end of next week.

Joe Biden’s memoir covering his presidency and his decision to run for reelection (and then step aside) will come out Nov. 17, which will be super fun for the half-dozen Dems planning to announce their presidential candidacies immediately after the midterms.

RUBEN GALLEGO delivered one of his best speeches to date at NALEO’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles yesterday, weaving his improbable biography – from sleeping on floors in South Side Chicago to serving in the US Senate – into a forceful rebuke of the recent ICE shootings and SCOTUS-sanctioned racial profiling (i.e. Kavanaugh stops), as he implored Latinos to refuse to be written out of the American story. I’ve not seen him on a teleprompter before, but he’s much better than when reading off the page.

WES MOORE has embarked on a tour of notable states (as scooped by Politico’s Adam Wren) making several SC stops with local Dems on Monday before heading to Atlanta to campaign for Keisha Bottoms (GA-gov) & JON OSSOFF Tuesday. He was in Detroit stumping for Jocelyn Benson (MI-Gov) two weeks ago, and heads to Vegas to boost Aaron Ford (NV-Gov) & attend AKA Sorority’s 72nd Boule next week.

RO KHANNA made waves with a trip to the West Bank that saw him and his Palestinian-led entourage detained by Israeli settlers toting M4 rifles before a US diplomat intervened to secure their safe release. “After seeing it firsthand, I now view Israel as an occupying power that is engaged in apartheid in the West Bank,” Khanna said.

GAVIN NEWSOM signed new legislation designed to streamline construction of affordable housing and reduce costs, in part by slashing burdensome impact fees. And Politico detailed his embrace of AI populism – an evolution from his tech-friendly days of yore – which allies cast as a potentially central plank of his 2028 pitch. 

PETE BUTTIGIEG spoke Sunday to a sold-out crowd of 1,200+ at Iowa Dems’ Liberty & Justice Dinner in Altoona, before rallying for Sarah Trone Garriot (IA-03) in Des Moines Monday & for Denise Powell (NE-02) in Omaha Tuesday.

JON OSSOFF repeatedly stuffed Trump DNI nominee Jay Clayton into a (metaphorical) locker at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, flashing some pugnacity and improvisational dexterity as Clayton struggled to answer tough questions such as “who won the 2020 election?” and “are you aware that Director Gabbard was present at the Fulton County raid earlier this year?” And you said he could only do viral speeches! (Ok, fine, that was me.) 

GRETCHEN WHITMER infuriated MI Dems and labor unions by vetoing nine Democrat-passed bills that were trapped in legal limbo for nearly two years just hours after the state Supreme Court had finally ruled in Senate Dems’ favor. The backstory here is absolutely bonkers – too convoluted to explain concisely, but for a good primer, read this Lansing City Journal piece.

MARK KELLY made a trip to Colorado to campaign for Manny Rutinel (CO-08), Jessica Killin (CO-05), Eileen Laubacher (CO-04), & other local Dems. He also waded into a messy primary in AZ-01, endorsing Marlene Galan-Woods (and appearing in an ad for her) days after the DCCC did the same, sparking some backlash. 

JOSH SHAPIRO – one of the few governors navigating a divided government – signed a $50.8B compromise budget into law. While some of his priorities were left on the chopping block, he may have a golden opportunity to enact his agenda next year; if PA Dems can flip two state Senate seats in November, they’ll claim their first trifecta in three decades.

ANDY BESHEAR continues to prod most-likely-alive Sen. Mitch McConnell on his health amid an extended absence, saying Kentuckians deserve “to see a little bit more” than the hostage photo released last week, and suggesting he has the power to replace McConnell if he’s incapacitated.