Gavin Newsom is everywhere… but there’s a surprising 2028 candidate leading the Democratic field

While California Governor Gavin Newsom has become the voice of the anti-Trump resistance, his fellow Californian, former Vice President Kamala Harris, is still hanging on as the face of the party.

The Daily Mail and JL Partners February poll showed that Harris still sits in first place when voters were asked to select their favorite possible 2028 Democratic primary candidate.

Harris received support from 23 percent of likely Democratic primary voters, with 19 percent selecting the California governor. 

The only other Democrat receiving double digits was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and 2020 White House hopeful, who has moved to Michigan but still does frequent cable news appearances. 

Buttigieg registered 10 percent. Another 10 percent of Democratic voters said they were unsure. 

Candidates won’t likely start officially announcing 2028 runs for another year. 

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was leading the middle of the pack, with 7 percent of Democratic primary voters selecting the progressive darling as their choice. 

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who ran in 2020, each attracted 5 percent of likely primary voters.

After that came Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at 4 percent and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer with 3 percent.

Harris’ 2024 running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has the support of 2 percent of the party, tied with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who has touted his electability in a red state.

All other potential Democratic hopefuls were polling at 1 percent or fewer.

Harris remains the most popular figure in her party when only Democrats were asked, with 86 percent expressing a favorable attitude toward the former vice president who lost the 2024 election to Donald Trump.

But some of her 2028 support seems to be built on name recognition left over from her 2024 bid, as it’s already started to slide as other candidates’ prospects rise.

In a month, Harris went from receiving the support of 36 percent of likely Democratic primary voters down to her current 23 percent.

Buttigieg and Newsom have benefited, each gaining four points.

Harris is seemingly aware of this dynamic, as she teased another presidential bid the same day in February that Newsom’s memoir was released.

While Harris is popular with Democrats, she has the highest unfavorable number of any Democrat when all voters were surveyed.

Among all respondents, 47 percent held a favorable view of Harris, while 44 percent viewed her unfavorably. 

Thirty-two percent of voters viewed Harris very unfavorably. 

After Harris, AOC and Newsom each had a quarter of voters rating them very unfavorably, likely an indicator of their higher national profiles. 

Newsom got in hot water – thanks to a MAGA-linked social media account – when he talked about his dyslexia last month at an Atlanta event where many black supporters were present. 

‘I’m not trying to impress you. I’m just trying to impress upon you I’m like you. I’m no better than you. I’m a 960 SAT guy… I can’t read,’ the California governor told the crowd.

Republican Senator Tim Scott, who is black, clapped back, saying, ‘Black Americans aren’t your low bar.’ 

Newsom’s office responded by pointing out that the governor has talked about his struggles with dyslexia for years – and spends a lot of time on it in his book.  

The Daily Mail’s poll found that a third, 34 percent, of black voters said Newsom is not like them, while 26 percent said the California governor is like them. 

About a quarter, 22 percent, said they weren’t sure how to answer the question, while another 18 percent said they weren’t familiar with Newsom.  

Among all voters, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who ran for President in 2016 and 2020, has the highest net rating of any Democrat, despite 23 percent viewing him very unfavorably. 

At 84, Sanders is very unlikely to mount another White House bid, leaving the progressive wing of the party looking toward 36-year-old AOC.

Shapiro gets the best numbers of any potential 2028 hopeful. 

Thirty-two percent of respondents viewed him favorably, while 22 percent viewed him unfavorably. 

The poll shows, however, that he’s still relatively unknown, with 28 percent saying they have no opinion of the Pennsylvania governor and another 18 percent saying they’ve never heard of him. 

The poll was conducted from February 25 to 27, sampling 1,095 registered voters online, giving the survey a plus or minus 3 percent margin of error.