Over the last month, ESPN's Stephen A Smith has begun to emerge as a potential candidate for the Democratic Party in the 2028 Presidential Election. The poll, published by John McLaughlin at the end of January, revealed that at least 2% of people said they'd support Smith if he ran for the presidency in three years. Smith previously said that he would commit to one if there was enough support to justify it. More recently, he said that he would not actually entertain the idea of running because of a lack of qualifications, but he still loves talking about politics.
In his latest appearance on Hannity, Stephen A Smith once again criticized the Democratic Party. "The fact that I am a candidate for the presidency of the United States of America according to the polling for the Democratic Party is the most clear-cut evidence of how pathetic the state of affairs within the Democratic Party are," Smith said. He also reiterated his belief that he's not qualified, saying that his lack of qualification is exactly why the polling is so "pathetic."
Will Stephen A. Smith Run For President?
Stephen A Smith has long said that he's not a Democrat. Smith considers himself an independent, but he tends to align with Democratic platforms. However, he also said that he was "misinformed" when voting for then-nominee and former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, potentially implying that he may have voted for Donald Trump or abstained entirely if he got a chance to do it over. He vehemently disagreed with those who called him a conservative after one of his many appearances on Hannity. With that in mind, it seems that a presidential run as a Republican is off the table.
Several within the Democratic Party have pushed for new people to emerge ahead of the 2028 election, as there does not seem to be overwhelming faith in any candidate at the moment. On McLaughlin's latest poll (from the week of Febuary 18), Kamala Harris is once again the front-runner. Just over a third of respondents said they would support another campaign of hers. It would be her third attempt at reaching the presidency. Stephen A Smith's support fell to just 1%, but it is astonishing that he's still polling at all. It will be interesting to see how the next three years go for the Democrats, and if Smith will ever commit to a campaign at all.
