The Rev. Al Sharpton invited a group of Democrats weighing 2028 presidential runs to a convention hosted by his civil rights group, giving them an opportunity to speak to a large crowd of Black voters, a key constituency in Democratic presidential primaries.
After the convention, Mr. Sharpton said he was surprised by how open former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared to be to running for president again and by how taken the audience was with Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, a “relative unknown” whom he compared to former President Bill Clinton.
“If there was one that was an eyebrow raiser, it was Beshear,” Mr. Sharpton said in an interview Sunday. Still, he added that he did not think anyone had any major gaffes. “I don’t think anybody flunked.”
The four-day convention was held in New York by the National Action Network, which has chapters across the United States. Here’s how Mr. Sharpton sized up each of the Democrats who spoke, and two who did not:
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris: “Kamala came a little closer than I thought she would to saying she may run,” Mr. Sharpton said. “She didn’t say she would. But she came right up to the edge. And I was not looking for that. Though I’m glad she did if that’s how she feels.”
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Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky: “I surprisingly heard one or two pretty influential chapter leaders say to me, you know we may be looking at another ’92 with this Beshear guy,” Mr. Sharpton said, adding that the audience appreciated his roots in the South and his familiarity with the Bible, as well as by the way he talked about police brutality (Mr. Clinton was first elected president in 1992). “The Clinton example — or even the Jimmy Carter example — is something you can’t dismiss.”
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Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania: “He was pretty well received, and I think that the more he talked, the more receptive the audience became,” Mr. Sharpton said, adding that the way Mr. Shapiro, who is Jewish, spoke about his faith “resonated” with the crowd.
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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: “He’s a lot more comfortable with it,” Mr. Sharpton said of Mr. Buttigieg, who came to the convention before a presidential run in 2020, when he struggled to attract Black voters. “He got the crowd with him a little bit. But I think Pete of ’20 would have been like at 60 — I think he went to 75 yesterday. I thought he was more at ease.”
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Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois: “He was treated very politely by the crowd,” Mr. Sharpton said. “And I think that he knew what to say — seemed very comfortable in that kind of setting.”
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Representative Ro Khanna of California: “New name,” Mr. Sharpton said, adding that attendees seemed primarily curious about his work pushing for the government to release files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I don’t think they saw him really in the presidential, even though he’s rumored to be looking at it. I think his attraction was the Epstein stuff.”
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Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona: “He came off as a folksy, everyday guy,” Mr. Sharpton said. He added that attendees appreciated that he had come early to attend a reception with delegates.
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Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland: “He demonstrated a lot of charisma,” Mr. Sharpton said, adding that he believed Mr. Moore was getting close to deciding to run. “I get a sense that he’s leaning that way.”
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Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona: “A lot of people didn’t know who he was,” Mr. Sharpton said, adding that Mr. Gallego was able to link his opposition to President Trump’s deportation agenda to civil rights. “It was effective.”
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Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey (Mr. Booker chose to deliver a speech rather than being interviewed by Mr. Sharpton). “Cory’s been going ever since he was running for mayor,” Mr. Sharpton said of his annual convention. Mr. Booker, the mayor of Newark from 2006 to 2013, is a popular and familiar face there, Mr. Sharpton said. “The advantage he has — and the disadvantage he has — is everybody knows Cory.”
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Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York (who did not address the convention): Mr. Sharpton said he had invited Mr. Newsom, but that the California governor had a family obligation that conflicted. “They even called and asked ‘Could he do a video?’” Mr. Sharpton said of Mr. Newsom’s office. “We said no. I don’t hold it against him.” And Mr. Sharpton said he did not invite Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, seen by some as a possible 2028 contender, for an onstage interview. “I don’t see her edging that way,” Mr. Sharpton said. “Yet.”
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