Which 2028 presidential hopefuls are coming to Nevada? We're tracking their visits.

Just as publishing a splashy memoir or appearing frequently on TV can signal a growing interest in running for president, trips to Nevada suggest that a politician is laying the groundwork for a 2028 bid.

Nevada Democrats are pushing hard to host the first presidential primary of 2028 and will almost certainly host one in the early window. Republicans, meanwhile, will also likely cast early ballots in their presidential primary — and their first truly open contest since 2016.

We've built the most comprehensive tracker of potential candidates' trips to the state by talking with Nevada insiders, connecting with potential candidates and their aides, and monitoring news reports and social media. It includes a timeline to help see who is prioritizing the state and a map to help you see where the candidates are focusing their efforts. 

We'll be continuously updating this feature with new visits as 2028 draws closer. We hope to report many of them first. 

Check out the tracker here. Know about an event we missed? Email me at [email protected]. 

The state of the 2028 race

The field will be extremely crowded. Nearly 20 Democrats are drawing buzz, while the Republican primary will be the first in a dozen years that won't be influenced by Donald Trump's candidacy. 

Since the 2024 election, at least 16 national figures rumored as contenders have traveled to the state. 

2028 will also mark the first competitive presidential primary races held as statewide primaries — the state moved away from caucuses in 2024 thanks to a state law change, but Democrats overwhelmingly supported incumbent President Joe Biden and Republicans rebelled, holding their own caucus won handily by Donald Trump (the none-of-the-above option defeated former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) in the state-held primary).

So far, rumored Republican hopefuls have largely limited their visits to cattle call conventions, though state GOP chair Michael McDonald, who said he speaks directly with the president nearly every week, is hoping visits ramp up this year. 

He told The Nevada Independent he would "like to get a couple Cabinet secretaries to come out here in the upcoming months."

National Democrats are already doing party events (dubbed Local Brews + National Views) and building relationships with state power players such as the Culinary Workers Union Local 226. Some are also having private meetings, with former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) attending six during his December visit.

Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno said national politicians began connecting with her even before she took on her role in 2023. She gets calls, holiday messages and birthday cards from more than a dozen Democrats listed on this tracker.

"I think everybody knows that Nevada is that must-win battleground state," she said in an interview. "And so presidential candidates, people that think they might be a presidential candidate … all know that this is a pathway to victory, so early relationships are best."

In her conversations with potential candidates, Monroe-Moreno said she often highlights the top midterm races, explains who the voters are and pushes them to go beyond the Strip and travel throughout the state.

"Even someone that's considering becoming a presidential candidate [who] may not have those deep pockets that some others have, you can really … compete here and see if your campaign, your message, resonates with voters, because we are such a diverse state," she said. "There's a lot that you can do here, and you don't have to break the bank to do that."

She noted some politicians have visited repeatedly, naming California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ).

"Cory Booker's mom lives here," Monroe-Moreno said. "Seems like Vegas is like his third home."

In a written statement to The Nevada Independent, Booker suggested he'd be back soon.

"Nevada is a critical battleground state, and it has a special place in my heart because it's where my mom lives," he wrote. "That's why I look forward to continuing to visit often to support Democrats at every level or the ballot, and give my mom a hug."

It's easy to find reasons to travel to the Silver State. A presidential hopeful may stop by to win $1.4 million playing cards or to stump for Nevada candidates ahead of the midterms. So far, many potential candidates are playing coy.

In a mid-March email to The Nevada Independent, businessman Mark Cuban, who has denied rumors about his interest in running, wrote that his "only trips are to Vegas for business and fun."

The Nevada Independent reached out to representatives for more than two dozen potential candidates. Several provided travel details. Some ignored or declined requests to comment on Nevada's importance, emphasizing that they were focused on their own states. 

However, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) spoke to The Nevada Independent about his travel to the Silver State, saying it ramped up when he served as co-chair to Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign and continued with his TechWise partnership with UNR President Brian Sandoval and work with the Culinary Union. He'll be back in state next month at the College of Southern Nevada to help introduce a program to help people prepare for future artificial intelligence jobs alongside OpenAI and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV).

He's traveled to many corners of the state, from Broadacres Marketplace in North Las Vegas to the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko.

"I've also just developed a much better understanding of Western culture," he said. "You know, why they may not like some of the things I propose, because they don't have that much confidence in government, some of them, but they're such decent people, and they want to be able to live their lives."

Khanna said he will decide about a presidential bid sometime between the midterms and the end of the year. He said he would base the decision on input from family and progressive allies, as well as his sense of whether the race will be focused on economic issues. 

In the meantime, he'll be making his next trip to Nevada on April 24.