Sadow: Mitch Landrieu’s 2028 Prospect Is a Vanity Presidential Bid, Not a Competitive Run

# Overview Jeff Sadow's column frames Mitch Landrieu's consideration of a 2028 presidential bid as a vanity project rather than a viable campaign. Sadow draws on Landrieu's recent interview behavior, broader shifts in party registration, and specific public claims Landrieu has made to argue the former New Orleans mayor lacks the base and credibility to compete for the Democratic nomination.

# Why Sadow calls it a vanity project Sadow highlights several behaviors he associates with candidates who are testing the waters rather than building a campaign infrastructure:

• Publicly claiming that unnamed people have urged him to run, without naming influential party figures.
• Saying he's merely "pondering" the idea while doing interviews that put him on the national radar.
• Describing a nationwide "listening tour," which Sadow interprets as preparatory posturing for an entry rather than grassroots momentum.

Sadow divides presidential hopefuls at this stage into two groups: those quietly assembling resources ahead of an announced run, and those waiting for activists to draft them. He puts Landrieu in the latter category.

# Party composition and voter registration trends

# Questions about Landrieu's messaging and record

• He points out Landrieu's claim that Barack Obama is more conservative than John Kerry and treats that as evidence of poor political judgment or lack of seriousness.
• He notes Landrieu's suggestion that Obama was mentored by a "committed communist" as an example of controversial framing that undercuts mainstream appeal.
• He disputes Landrieu's attempt to claim credit for education improvements in Louisiana and New Orleans, arguing those results followed policies the state's Democratic establishment had fought.

# Louisiana's history of novelty or quixotic bids Sadow places Landrieu in a local pattern of Louisiana figures who have made symbolic or novelty runs for the presidency. He references past candidates such as Buddy Roemer as examples of novelty entrants, and contrasts those with the more serious, competitive bid that Bobby Jindal mounted in 2016's field before Donald Trump changed the dynamics for GOP outsiders.

# Bottom line Sadow concludes Landrieu lacks both a meaningful Democratic groundswell and the political seriousness required to contend for the 2028 nomination. The column treats Landrieu's interview posture, claims about national figures, and the broader leftward movement of the Democratic primary electorate as combined reasons his run would be a vanity effort rather than a competitive campaign.