On Thursday, a select group of Democratic governors, many seen as potential contenders for the 2028 presidential race, convened at an exclusive fundraising event in Los Angeles.
This high-profile gathering, where entry tickets reached up to $100,000 each, featured prominent figures such as Governor Gavin Newsom of California, Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota, and Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, as reported by the LA Times.
Access to this press-free event, which required an investment ranging from $45,000 to $100,000 per ticket, aimed to bolster the Democratic Governors Association (DGA). With approximately 45 donors present, the evening was projected to generate $1.5 million for the DGA.
Among the attendees was Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who chairs the DGA. Both Beshear and his colleagues Whitmer and Newsom are speculated to harbor presidential aspirations for the 2028 election.
The DGA is committed to supporting Democratic governors and candidates, offering assistance across all facets of campaigning, as detailed on their website.
This exclusive event took place at the luxurious estate of Ellen Bronfman Hauptman, a liquor heiress, and her husband, Andrew Hauptman.
The Democratic party members mingled and talked politics with members of the Hollywood elite. Executive producer of the “The Hangover” movie series, Scott Budnick, was in attendance, along with director J.J. Abrams, “Lost” screenwriter Damon Lindelof, and former Walt Disney executive Alan Horn.
Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres by the pool and sipped cocktails, before heading back indoors where the focus of the discussion was on how best to win back the White House in 2028.
The group agreed that the battle would be won if the conversation was about results from governors in states rather than on ideological issues.
Despite playing coy, Newsom recently dropped a political bomb, hinting that he’ll make a run for the White House in 2028.
“If we don’t take back the House of Representatives in 2026. Nothing else matters,” Newsom said from the stage at the South by Southwest Conference in Austin in March.
When asked about a “second date” with his supporters at the ballot box in 2028, Newsom said, “the work that needs to be done between now and then to get Speaker [Hakeem] Jeffries that gavel. If we can do that? Then you and I can go on a second date,” Newsom said.
It is not the first time the Hauptmans have held fundraising events for the party. In 2022, former President Joe Biden attended an event held at the heiress and her husband’s home where nearly $2.5 million dollars was raised for the DNC, Variety reported.
The California Post reached out to the Democratic Governors Association for further comment.
