As a general rule I don’t think one bit about potential presidential tickets this early in an election season, but I am going to make an exception today.

I keep seeing social media memes that suggest a potential Democratic ticket comprising California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly might be in the making. I’ll make this admission, which is that such a notion sounds pretty appealing to me. I happen to think a lot about both men.

I hear that Newsom has his foes in California, as he governs the state in a kind of spotty fashion. He has emerged as an articulate foe of Donald Trump … who won’t be on the 2028 GOP ballot. He has crafted a humor campaign against the Republicans that pokes fun at Democrats, drawing bipartisan laughter.

I should state here that the chatter has Newsom running for POTUS, Kelly for VPOTUS.

I’ll admit, too, that of the pair Kelly has emerged as the bigger media star. Trump has singled Kelly out as a seditionist, claiming he should face the death penalty if convicted of a “crime” that involves him declaring that military personnel must not obey “an unlawful order.”

It’s particularly laughable that Kelly would be targeted in this manner. The senator graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, served for 25 years in the Navy, flew 39 combat missions in Iraq, flew four times aboard space shuttles and has been elected to the U.S. Senate. The man has led a full life … all of it committed to public service.

I won’t commit to undying devotion to this Democratic tandem. Kelly has to win re-electiion to the Senate next year, which I believe he will do. He has lashed out articulately against Trump’s foolishness. As for Newsom, well, who knows if some skeletons emerge from the governor’s closet?

It’s still early and I am willing to suggest there will be a lot of Democrats — and Republicans — seeking the keys to the White House in 2028.