Barkley says he won’t consider voting Democrat unless one of two candidates is nominee

Michael Brauner

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April 21, 2025

Last week, former Auburn Tigers legend and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley made an appearance on SI Media with Jimmy Traina and discussed the current political landscape and state of the Democratic Party.

Though Barkley traditionally has voted Democrat and considers himself to be a left-leaning independent, it sounds as if he is starting to grow tired of some of the party’s antics:

A portion of the conversation centered on possible nominees in the 2028 presidential election. According to Barkley, there are only two possible candidates he would consider voting for.

“If the Democrats don’t get Josh Shapiro – the governor of Pennsylvania – or Wes Moore – the governor of Maryland – if they’re not the leader or the team up for the Democratic Party, I would not even consider voting for anybody else other than one of those two,” he said.

Barkley went a step further and threatened to put the party behind him for good if neither of the lawmakers is on the ticket in 2028.

“I think Josh Shapiro is amazing, I think Wes Moore is amazing. If the Democratic Party does not pick one of those two, they gonna lose my support forever, as an independent.”

Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.