MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brooks Lee hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the eighth inning for the Minnesota Twins in a 3-1 victory to complete a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Mick Abel pitched six scoreless innings and Josh Bell went 3 for 4 with a home run for the Twins, who posted the first four-game sweep in Major League Baseball this season. The last team the Twins swept in four games was the Athletics in June 2024.
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Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gleyber Torres hits an RBI sacrifice fly against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Josh Bell watches his a solo home run during the fourth inning of baseball game against the Detroit Tigers , Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Mick Abel delivers during the first inning of baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens flips the ball to first base to get the out on Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry during the fourth inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Brooks Lee celebrates a two-run single against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Gleyber Torres tied the game in the seventh with a sacrifice fly for the Tigers, who lost their eighth consecutive road game. They lost center fielder Parker Meadows in the eighth after a head-to-head collision as left fielder Riley Greene caught Bell's fly ball.
Eric Orze pitched a perfect ninth to become the fifth different Twins pitcher to record a save in 13 games this season, after Garrett Acton went two innings for his first career win.
Abel struck out seven batters and stranded seven runners, including five in scoring position as the Tigers lost their eighth straight road game. Minnesota has surrendered two first-inning runs in 13 games. Only Cleveland (one) has allowed fewer in the major leagues.
The Twins (7-6) moved above the .500 mark for the first time since they were 36-35 last June 16.
The Tigers, who finished a stretch of 10 of 13 games on the road, took the best batting average in baseball with runners in scoring position into the game and went 0 for 11 in those situations.
Detroit hosts Miami in a three-game series starting on Friday. Chris Paddack pitches for the Marlins, and Keider Montero takes the mound for the Tigers.
Minnesota begins a three-game series at Toronto on Friday. Simeon Woods Richardson pitches for the Twins, and Patrick Corbin makes his season debut for the Blue Jays.
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Detroit Tigers designated hitter Gleyber Torres hits an RBI sacrifice fly against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Josh Bell watches his a solo home run during the fourth inning of baseball game against the Detroit Tigers , Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Mick Abel delivers during the first inning of baseball game against the Detroit Tigers, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens flips the ball to first base to get the out on Detroit Tigers' Zach McKinstry during the fourth inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Minnesota Twins' Brooks Lee celebrates a two-run single against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning of baseball game, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
NEW YORK (AP) — On the road to 2028, the Democratic Party's leading presidential prospects are warning African Americans that President Donald Trump is actively working to undermine their right to vote in 2026.
That was a central message Thursday as some of the nation's most ambitious Democratic politicians appeared before Black activists at the National Action Network’s annual convention. In all, more than a half-dozen potential candidates are speaking during the four-day gathering led by Rev. Al Sharpton, aiming to make inroads among Black voters, who comprise one of Democrats’ most powerful blocs.
As they deflected questions about their 2028 intentions, the high-profile Democrats pointed to what they described as an imminent threat from the Trump administration heading into the November midterm elections.
“If we don’t have a fair election in November, we won’t have any more elections," Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker charged. He warned that Trump was going to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents to "scare people away from the polls” — something the administration has denied — and said "we need to go with purpose and push them out of the way, or at least tell them to get out of the way, and go in and vote.”
Pritzker's comments underscore how the clash over voting rights in the 2026 midterm elections is already shaping the early stages of the 2028 presidential contest.
Trump has been taking unprecedented steps to change how Americans vote based on his false allegations of fraud.
Less than two weeks ago, Trump signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting. The order, which voting law experts say violates the Constitution by attempting to seize states’ power to run elections, also seeks to bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to those not on each state’s approved list.
Last year, Trump issued another executive order intended to create a proof-of-citizenship requirement, which could disenfranchise millions of Americans who don’t have easy access to such documents, and a mandate that all mail ballots be received by Election Day, eliminating grace periods used in 14 states. The order has been blocked by numerous courts.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who described himself as “hungry but not thirsty” when asked about his personal presidential ambitions, condemned Trump's actions as an effort “to make the pain permanent.”
“This is voter suppression. This is political redlining. These are the oldest tricks in the books,” Moore said. “The only difference is usually it’s spread out, it’s never done all at once and in broad daylight.”
He added, “We have to make sure that this election is not stolen right before our face.”
The primary season won't begin in earnest until after November's midterm elections, but this week's conference is showcasing a collection of Democrats already jockeying for position in what promises to be a crowded competition.
For now, at least, there is no clear early favorite.
“Everybody's talking about who may run for president,” said Sharpton, the National Action Network's founder and president. “I want to first know what their vision is now, and what they’re doing now. So I’ve invited all of the people that could run.”
In addition to Moore and Pritzker, the speaking program features Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the last Democratic presidential nominee, is scheduled to speak Friday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another likely contender, won't be in attendance because of a previously scheduled family commitment, his team said, noting that he met with Sharpton earlier in the year.
Shapiro was the first to speak and, like others, framed his critique of Trump around morality rather than the kitchen table issues that normally fill stump speeches. He warned that “everyone is less safe” because of Trump’s leadership and blamed him for a nationwide surge in antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and bigotry.
“There’s more chaos, there’s more cruelty in our world,” Shapiro said. “Even if we disagree on health care policy or tax policy or whatever, we should at least, at a baseline, have an honorable president of the United States. We do not have that right now.”
Khanna told The Associated Press that “a 2028 contender needs to articulate and run on a new moral vision for America." He said progressives should be “speaking to the Civil Rights tradition and offering a vision rooted in Black history.”
One doesn't have to look far to see the outsized influence that Black voters wield in Democratic nomination contests.
In 2020, Buttigieg was a top vote-getter in the Iowa caucus and scored a strong second place in New Hampshire — both overwhelmingly white states — before Joe Biden dominated South Carolina on the strength of the Black vote.
Biden's long-established relationship with the African American community, backed by his perceived electability advantage, ultimately helped him beat back a strong push by progressive favorite Sen. Bernie Sanders.
In an interview, Rep. James Clyburn, said he's not concerned about whether his home state of South Carolina retains its top spot on the presidential primary calendar so long as the state remains first in the South. He noted that his state's demographic makeup helps prepare candidates for the general election.
“South Carolina never made a request for that opening slot. That’s a decision that Joe Biden made for whatever reason,” Clyburn told The Associated Press.
He also said it was too early to focus on the Democrats' early 2028 field given the threat to voting rights that Trump poses this fall.
“I’ve been saying to everybody, and I hope they take heed — 2028 is a very shiny object, 2026 is a necessary process,” Clyburn said. “If we fail to conduct ourselves properly in these off-year elections, there ain’t gonna be a 2028 election.”
Wes Moore, Governor of Maryland, speaks during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at the National Action Network Convention, accompanied by the Rev. Al Sharpton, in New York, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Reverend Al Sharpton speaks during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, speaks with Reverend Al Sharpton during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania, speaks during the National Action Network (NAN) Convention in New York, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
