Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is making no secret of his ambitions. As he walked across UC Berkeley's campus, he took a swipe at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, accusing him of “shilling for billionaires.” The Silicon Valley congressman has turned that critique into a rallying cry, especially as Newsom and Khanna clash over Proposition 40, a wealth tax on billionaires that is facing heavy opposition from tech moguls.
Despite the measure's troubles, the energy at a recent campus rally suggested a different story. Khanna joined a slate of progressive candidates backed by the Working Families Party, including state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Jane Kim, who is running for insurance commissioner. When someone shouted, “Will you run for president?” the crowd erupted. “Ro for President” signs dotted the audience, a reception few California politicians could expect at Berkeley. The message was clear: progressive capitalism has found its standard-bearer.
Khanna draws sharp contrasts with Newsom, labeling him a neoliberal while casting himself as a “New Deal Democrat” who would tax oligarchs. On Gaza, Khanna opposes military aid to Israel outright, a stance that distinguishes him from Newsom's more cautious approach. But in a 2028 Democratic primary, Khanna's most direct competition on the left may come from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). If both run, the battle for the party's progressive wing could define the race.
Asked to explain how progressive capitalism differs from socialism, Khanna emphasized free enterprise: “Free enterprise means that the government doesn’t have control over all of the means of production. You wouldn’t want Donald Trump controlling everything.” He envisions a system rewarding “hardworking individuals” rather than those “accumulating wealth in their sleep because of the growth of the stock market.” Still, his critique of current capitalism left the distinction somewhat fuzzy.
Pressed on what he would do differently from Ocasio-Cortez or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Khanna pointed to a capital fund for entrepreneurship and small businesses, plus job-training programs he has launched nationwide. When asked if the difference is about priorities, he answered simply: “A New Deal.”
Khanna has managed to stay credible on the left while openly embracing capitalism, a balancing act that requires finesse. He represents Silicon Valley, but he doesn’t let that define him. He has refused to distance himself from socialists, even when it would be politically convenient. He stood by Francesca Hong, a Democratic Socialist whose past comments on police and Thanksgiving became liabilities in her Wisconsin gubernatorial bid. And when asked about the excesses of the 2020 “woke” era, he offered a nuanced defense: “Woke means being aware of injustices—I think there’s nothing wrong with that.”
At the same time, Khanna courts moderates by celebrating American history, supporting strong borders, and acknowledging the need for an immigration enforcement agency. He seems determined to keep lines of communication open across the party's factions. His background helps: a stint as deputy assistant secretary of Commerce under President Obama and years as an intellectual-property lawyer at Wilson Sonsini. When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed in 2023, Khanna pushed for federal guarantees on deposits, arguing that letting regional banks fail would only concentrate more power in the largest institutions. It was a progressive case, but also one that served his district's interests.
Khanna is betting that 2028 won't repeat 2020's dynamics. He hopes a left weary of losing will embrace a candidate who can appeal to both the Democratic Socialists of America and conservative writers like Curt Mills, who has said he'd prefer Khanna to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Ocasio-Cortez, as Sanders's heir, has never had to explain how she isn't a socialist. Khanna does. But he seems willing to take that on.
