‘We can’t lose’: all eyes on potential 2028 Democratic contenders at big party gathering for this year’s midterms

Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, speaks at the National Action Network convention, next to the Rev Al Sharpton, in New York City on Thursday. Photograph: Angelina Katsanis/AP

Some of the Democratic party’s most prominent figures – and possible 2028 presidential contenders – descended on New York City this week for the annual National Action Network (NAN) convention hosted by the Rev Al Sharpton, where discussions centered around the upcoming midterms, affordability, the war in Iran and the future of the Democratic party.

“Now more than ever, it’s on all of us to stand up for the future of our country, doing some public service – at a minimum, everybody has to go vote in this coming election,” the Illinois governor, JB Pritzker, told the crowd on Thursday.