House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries admits there is ‘a lot to like’ about Stephen A. Smith amid talk of the ESPN host running for president in 2028.
A recent poll revealed that Smith, who has become the face of ESPN over the past decade, would receive more support than a number of big-name Democrat presidential hopefuls when the next election comes around.
And during an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com last week, he hinted at a possible presidential bid in three years’ time after stressing his belief that he would ‘beat every candidate on that poll’.
‘If they told me I had a legitimate, bonafide shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would entertain it,’ Smith said.
‘Because the part that I’m not joking about is I believe I could beat every candidate on that poll. Every candidate that they mentioned, from Kamala Harris right on down to (Pete) Buttigieg and to Tim Walz. I’d beat all of them. I do believe that. I really do.’
And as calls for Smith to consider running keep gathering pace, top Democrat Jeffries was quizzed on the prospect of the sports analyst emerging as a serious candidate for 2028.
Top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries admits there is ‘a lot to like’ about Stephen A. Smith (pictured)
Jeffries was quizzed on talk of the ESPN personality running for president in the 2028 election
He first stressed that the next election is ‘way off in the distance’ and not a current priority before adding: ‘There is a lot to like about Stephen A. Smith.’
Smith has not shied away from delivering bold political takes in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s emphatic victory over Kamala Harris in the polls last November.
As a result of his hot takes, the media personality has generated a lot of support for a potential presidential bid.
He recently shocked Bill Maher’s audience with his blunt verdict on why Trump won a second term in the White House – and admitted why he feels like a ‘damn fool’ for supporting Harris.
Although he has played down the prospect of it, Smith did also leave the door open for a possible presidential run when he spoke to DailyMail.com on Super Bowl week in New Orleans.
The 57-year-old said: ‘You know, rather than talk about me being an elected official or a runner for the president of the United States, how about if I’m somebody with a voice as strong as Sean Hannity’s, as strong as Mark Levin’s, as strong as Rachel Maddow. How about that?
‘Because that’s more plausible. However, I will confess, like I said, I have no desire to do this, but assuming that I’m well off, that I have lots of money, and money is no longer a concern, if the American people came to me and looked at me and said “Yo, man, we want you to run for office”, and I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States, I’m not gonna lie. I’ll think about that.
‘But I gotta have my money. I’m not gonna go to the White House broke. I’m not gonna do that. I gotta have my money. I gotta have my home. I gotta have my financial situation completely taken care of. I have no concerns if that happens for me.’
Smith exclusively told DailyMail.com that he would potentially consider running for president
Smith’s comments came after John McLaughlin – who was Trump’s chief pollster – held a national survey of 1,000 general election voters last month.
Among the questions he asked was: ‘Thinking ahead to the 2028 Democratic primary election for president, if that election were held today among the following candidates, for whom would you vote?’
Two percent said they would choose Smith. That is more than the likes of Beto O’Rourke – who ran for the nomination in 2020 – and JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois (both one percent).
Remarkably, Smith polled only one percentage point behind Tim Walz – Harris’ vice-presidential pick – and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro.
Harris was overwhelmingly the No 1 choice, with a third of voters (33 percent) saying they would vote for the former vice president – despite her defeat by Trump in November.
