Allies of Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna launched a formal draft campaign on 6 November 2026 urging him to seek the 2028 US presidential nomination, as the California Democrat said he would decide — alongside his family — after the holidays whether to enter the race or throw his support behind another candidate.

What the 'Run Ro' Campaign Is

The 'Run Ro' initiative is a supporters-led effort to draft Khanna into the presidential contest, not a campaign committee launched by the congressman himself. Politico reported that Khanna was not directly involved in the group's formation. The distinction is significant: Thursday's announcement reflects the ambitions of allies seeking to persuade him, rather than a formal declaration of candidacy.

Former New York Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman and progressive strategist Nomiki Konst are heading the effort. They told NBC News the committee would raise funds and build organisational infrastructure while Khanna weighs his options.

Khanna's Own Words

'Whether I run or support someone else is something I will decide with my family after the holidays,' Khanna said in a statement to NBC News. The remark left open both a candidacy and the possibility of endorsing a rival contender. In a separate interview with Politico on Wednesday, he said the decision would come 'sometime over the holidays,' without specifying an announcement date.

Khanna identified universal healthcare through Medicare for All, ending foreign wars, and taxing billionaires as his core priorities — a platform that positions him firmly in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.

The Case His Supporters Are Making

Konst, who has worked on campaigns for former President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders, told The Washington Post that she had known Khanna for over a decade. She argued that early organisation was essential for progressives to compete with centrist candidates who already command established donor networks and political machinery.

She highlighted Khanna's stances on artificial intelligence, taxation of wealthy individuals, and his efforts to secure the release of records linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Konst said his work reflected 'the thing that Americans want right now,' according to The Washington Post. That assessment represents the case his supporters are making — but the committee's launch does not yet establish the breadth of support Khanna would command among Democratic primary voters.

Who Is Ro Khanna

Khanna represents California's 17th Congressional District in Silicon Valley. Born in Philadelphia in 1976 to an immigrant family, his father worked as a chemical engineer and his mother as a substitute teacher's assistant for children with special needs. His grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalanker, participated in India's independence movement and was imprisoned for opposing British rule, according to his official biography.

Khanna studied economics at the University of Chicago and earned a law degree from Yale University. He served as a deputy assistant secretary at the Commerce Department during the Obama administration and was a co-chair of Sanders' 2020 presidential campaign. He lives in Fremont, California, with his wife, Ritu, and their two children.

Notably, the initiative was announced just two days after the US midterm elections, and reports indicate Khanna has already visited states that vote early in the presidential nomination calendar — a traditional signal of exploratory interest. Whether the 'Run Ro' momentum translates into a formal candidacy now hinges on a family conversation expected after the holiday season.