California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) topped former Vice President Harris in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary in the Golden State, a new poll found.
The survey, released Wednesday from Politico and other partners, shows Newsom in the lead in a wide field of possible contenders with 25 percent among California Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Harris came in second with 19 percent, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 13 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-N.Y.) 10 percent.
The other possible candidates included all received less than 5 percent, according to the results.
The latest poll comes years before any votes will be cast in the next presidential election but is a marker of where opinion in the state may stand at this early stage.
Newsom has taken on an increasingly public profile and risen as a top leader within the Democratic Party, most recently leading opposition to Republican efforts to enact mid-decade redistricting and try to pick up several more GOP seats in next year’s midterm elections. He has been a rumored possible presidential candidate since before last year’s election.
Harris, coming off of her defeat to President Trump in November, ended speculation that she would run for California governor to try to succeed Newsom last month when she ruled out a bid. She said she wanted to spend some time outside the political system after years of public service.
Her decision added more fuel to speculation that she may take another shot at running for president in 2028.
The Politico poll also found that respondents were slightly more excited at the prospect of Newsom running for president than Harris. Almost half said they were “very” or “somewhat” excited about the California leader possibly running, while 42 percent said the same about the former vice president.
With Newsom as a two-term governor and Harris as a former U.S. senator from California, both would be seen as clear favorites in the Golden State primary, which awards more votes in the nominating process than any other state.
The poll was conducted from July 28 to Aug. 12 among 1,445 registered voters, including 807 registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. The margin of error for the entire sample was 2.6 percentage points.
