California’s gubernatorial primary may be settled, with Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton moving on to the November general election and most defeated candidates conceding.
One little-known contender, however, is drawing fresh attention online for what many are calling an unexpectedly ambitious next move: a presidential run in 2028.
Barack D. Obama Shaw emerged as one of the more talked-about names in the governor’s race after mail ballots went out in May, largely because of the striking resemblance between his name and that of former President Barack Obama. Shaw appeared on a crowded ballot that featured 61 candidates, many of them longshots with little public profile.
A Democrat, Shaw describes himself as a “politician, musician and an international promoter of products and services that are the best in the world.”
His candidacy led many observers to wonder whether the campaign was meant seriously or as a joke.
Shaw was born as Cecil L. Shaw III but legally changed his name in 2013, Globe Magazine reported, because the former president inspired him. His new name represents hope, he said.
“Obama made the impossible possible for people that looked like me, to become President of the United States,” he explained.
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He attempted to become mayor of the Bay Area city of Alameda before running for governor. He finished in the governor’s race with just 16,522 votes at a 0.2% vote share.
He announced his run for the 2028 presidency the day after that election and a few days later, explained why he’s going for the White House.
“You know, they said Thomas Edison didn’t fail 10,000 times. He created 10,000 ways of how not to make the light bulb,” Shaw said in a video. “So obviously I was running for president the whole time. I just didn’t know it.”
Still, the public is taking Shaw’s presidential announcement with humor.
“Hey Hunter Biden, I think we’ve found your running mate here,” one user commented, tagging former President Joe Biden’s son who had joked with California Gov. Gavin Newsom about a run.
“This man can’t be real. I saw him on the ballot and still couldn’t believe it,” another user said.
Shaw is likely to face potential Democratic contenders with more serious chances from his own state in 2028, particularly Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Congressman Ro Khanna.
