Al Green wasn't the star of this show. This was a warm-up for Democrats primary in 2028 and Josh Shapiro apparently was the highlight.
The Democratic Party’s most ambitious politicians are courting African American activists in New York this week as the party’s unofficial 2028 presidential nomination contest begins to take shape.
apnews.com
Democratic presidential prospects flock to New York to court activists at Al Sharpton’s conference
By
MATT BROWN and
STEVE PEOPLES
Updated 12:14 AM EDT, April 9, 2026
NEW YORK (AP) — The Democratic Party’s most ambitious politicians are courting African American activists in New York this week as the party’s unofficial 2028 presidential nomination contest takes shape at an annual conference led by
Rev. Al Sharpton.
Up first was Pennsylvania Gov.
Josh Shapiro, who warned that “everyone is less safe” because of President Donald Trump’s leadership and blamed him for a nationwide surge in antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and bigotry.
“There’s more chaos, there’s more cruelty in our world,” Shapiro said. “Even if we disagree on health care policy or tax policy or whatever, we should at least, at a baseline, have an honorable president of the United States. We do not have that right now.”
The Democratic governor, already considered a top-tier 2028 presidential prospect with
a clear path to reelection in his battleground state this year, delivered a scathing criticism of the Republican president on the opening day of the National Action Network’s four-day conference. More than a half-dozen potential candidates are speaking here to make inroads among Black leaders, one of Democrats’ most powerful voting blocs.
The presidential primary is already underway
The presidential primary season won’t begin in earnest until after November’s midterm elections, but this week’s conference is showcasing a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded primary fight.
For now, at least, there is no clear early favorite.
“Everybody’s talking about who may run for president,” said Sharpton, the National Action Network’s founder and president. “I want to first know what their vision is now, and what they’re doing now. So I’ve invited all of the people that could run.”
In addition to Shapiro, the speaking program features Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.
