Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna has never been shy about the spotlight. But national attention is increasingly shining on the progressive Democrat — so much so that he’s positioning himself for a possible run for president in 2028.
An ambitious self-described “progressive capitalist,” Khanna’s House district stretches from Fremont to Cupertino and encompasses the headquarters of some of the world’s most valuable companies. He dabbled in presidential politics in 2020 as a co-chair of Bernie Sanders’ run for president and hasn’t behaved like the average member of Congress since he took office in 2017.
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These days, the congressman is making moves.
Khanna is playing a central role in the push for documents about the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and is leading an effort to recognize a Palestinian state. He has crisscrossed the country to hold town halls in Republican-held districts and made an eyebrow-raising trip to hear from voters in South Carolina. If past is prologue, that state will be key to the path to the Democratic nomination in 2028. Possible contenders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, also are trekking there like moths to a flame.
And that path is on Khanna’s mind. Reached by text this week, the congressman didn’t throw cold water on the suggestion that he’s considering a run for president.
“Right now I’m focused on winning back the House in 2026,” Khanna said, “but I believe we need a new generation of leadership for the party and fresh, transformative vision.”
Might Khanna, 48, be that new leader? A Yale graduate with an intellectual streak, he has taken pains to sell his vision of an American manufacturing renaissance paired with artificial intelligence and a strong social safety net, to be funded with higher corporate taxes.
In this moment, the Silicon Valley politician is clearly jockeying for influence and a possible spot on the national stage ahead of 2028, said San Jose State University political scientist Larry Gerston.
“This is what they call the ‘silent primary’ right now,” Gerston said. “Nobody is officially running for anything, nobody is voting for anything. And it’s fair to say that Ro Khanna’s in the middle of it.”
It’s a dark time for Democrats in Washington D.C., who are largely powerless as the new Trump administration and Republican Congress slash the federal government. The national Democratic party has no apparent leader since its thrashing in the November 2024 election. Even former Vice President and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris is deflecting questions about who leads the party now, which conservatives have seized on.
Beside Khanna, a slew of Democrats already are telegraphing their interest in the 2028 primary. Newsom made his own foray into South Carolina this summer and is speaking openly about his national aspirations. So are other blue-state governors. For her part, Harris bowed out of the 2026 California governor race last week. In a recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, she expressed hesitation at rejoining a political system she called “broken.”
Khanna has held prominent roles in national campaigns and policy before. But he recently remarked that he has a lower profile than other 2028 contenders, including Newsom. That may be an asset as voters seek change, he told the Associated Press. Still, he’s landed hefty coverage from the national media, including The New York Times Magazine, “Rep. Ro Khanna Has a Reminder for Democrats: Americans Love Money,” and The Atlantic, “Ro Khanna Wants to Be the Future of the Democratic Party.”
“I think it’s very different than in the past when you’ve had clear defined leaders of the party,” Khanna said. “I think that’s healthy. There is no status quo person. My guess is the last thing the party is going to want is more of the same.”
After co-leading the Sanders campaign in 2020, Khanna traveled often to stump for former President Joe Biden in 2024 in the months before he exited the race. Since President Donald Trump took office again in January, Khanna has taken aim at Vice President J.D. Vance, whom he sees as the future of the Republican Party, and held town halls in GOP-controlled congressional districts throughout California and the U.S.
In the last week, Khanna traveled on a bipartisan mission to meet with Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, who has Bay Area ties of her own. He also is leading a push by progressives for the U.S. to follow some of its allies and move to recognize a Palestinian state.
Earlier, the congressman made a big splash in July when he forged an alliance with right-wing representatives to try to force the release of documents about Jeffrey Epstein.
When it appeared that Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky had collected enough votes to ram through a vote on the topic, House Speaker Mike Johnson shut down Congress early for the planned summer recess. The ploy landed Khanna as a guest on a slew of cable news programs. Separately, lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee issued subpoenas Tuesday for Epstein investigation documents and are seeking depositions from former officials, including Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Khanna said via text he intends to resume the campaign to force a vote on Massie’s bill, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, as soon as Congress resumes in September. The bill would require Attorney General Pam Bondi and federal agencies to release “all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials” related to Epstein, his convicted former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, flight logs and more.
“Epstein is about elite accountability and transparency,” Khanna said in a text. “We need to restore trust in government and releasing these files can help do that.”
With the tactic, Khanna landed a blow on Johnson, said Melissa Michelson, professor of political science at Menlo College.
Johnson and his ally, Trump, are under fire from many in their own party to release information about Epstein, including about any clients of the convicted sex offender and accused child sex trafficker. The issue has ballooned into a political liability as revelations emerge about Trump’s links to Epstein, whom he once called a friend.
“The optics of it are very good for the Democrats,” Michelson said.