# Khanna allies launch 2028 presidential draft campaign

> Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and strategist Nomiki Konst form Run Ro to build support for Rep. Ro Khanna's potential presidential bid in the progressive lane.
- Title: Khanna allies launch 2028 presidential draft campaign
- Summary: Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and strategist Nomiki Konst form Run Ro to build support for Rep. Ro Khanna's potential presidential bid in the progressive lane.
- Keywords: ro khanna, 2028 presidential election, democratic primary, progressive politics, jamaal bowman, nomiki konst, run ro, NBC News
- Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/politics/2028-election/rep-ro-khanna-allies-launch-draft-campaign-2028-presidential-race-rcna607462
- Author: Jonathan Allen
- Published: 2026-11-05T09:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: ro khanna, 2028 presidential election, democratic primary, progressive politics, jamaal bowman, nomiki konst, run ro, politics, news
## Draft committee launches for Khanna
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman and progressive strategist Nomiki Konst co-chair Run Ro, a new group that can raise money and build support for Rep. Ro Khanna's potential 2028 presidential candidacy.
## Democrats seek progressive champion
The move comes after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in the midterm election, with the party's left wing looking for a new champion in the progressive lane.
## Framing the primary debate
Nomiki Konst said the group aims to ensure the presidential primary debate is framed from a progressive populist perspective by launching early.

> By launching now, we are trying to ensure that the presidential primary debate is framed from a progressive populist perspective.
## Steep odds for House members
Only one person was ever elected to the presidency directly from the House: James Garfield, Republican of Ohio, in eighteen eighty.
## Khanna's record and ambitions
A fifth-term lawmaker, Khanna has made headlines with bipartisan efforts to release the Jeffrey Epstein files and end the war in Iran. He has been traveling to early primary states for months.
## Ocasio-Cortez remains undecided
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York is the most famous House progressive considering a presidential bid but has not yet said whether she will seek the presidency, run for Senate or remain in the House.
## Bowman backs Khanna's candidacy
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman said Khanna has shown the work ethic, humility and vision needed, while praising Ocasio-Cortez as his sister whom he loves.

> She is my sister, and I love her. Ro Khanna has shown the work ethic, the humility and the vision that we need in this moment.
## Khanna welcomes the effort
Khanna welcomed the draft committee and said he will decide whether to run after the holidays, citing Medicare for All, ending foreign wars and taxing billionaires as his platform priorities.

> I'm honored that people are encouraging me to run on a platform of Medicare for All, ending foreign wars and taxing the billionaires.
## Early organizing for progressives
Konst said the draft committee allows them to organize early so Khanna is not late to the game, noting centrists organize and strategize years in advance with donors and consultants lined up.

> The centrists organize and strategize early. They have their donors, corporate consultants and leaders lined up for years.
## Key takeaway

Allies of Rep. Ro Khanna launched a draft committee to build support for his potential 2028 presidential run as Democrats seek a new progressive champion.