More than 30% of Democrat voters support Pete Buttigieg as their preferred candidate for the 2028 presidential race, according to a new national poll, positioning him ahead of prominent party figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and former Vice President Kamala Harris, Breitbart reported.
A new AtlasIntel poll has found that the former transportation secretary leads the field of potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential election, garnering support from 31.5 percent of Democratic-identifying respondents.
The survey, conducted from May 21-27 polled 3,469 adults across the United States. The margin of error was not provided.
Ocasio-Cortez received the second-highest level of support at 19.4%, followed by Harris at 16.6%. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., secured 10.4% of support, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom received 7.1%.
Election analyst Nate Silver has previously indicated that Ocasio-Cortez is a likely contender for the nomination. In an April report published on his “Silver Bulletin” Substack, Silver wrote that Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive member of the “Squad,” is “the one to lead Democrats into the next presidential cycle.”
Silver praised AtlasIntel as a “top-rated” firm, calling it the most accurate pollster of the 2024 presidential election.
Galen Druke, a former host of the “FiveThirtyEight” podcast, concurred with Silver’s assessment. Druke cited a Yale University survey that showed Ocasio-Cortez held one of the highest net favorability ratings among Democrats, with a favorable rating of 60 points. The same survey identified Harris as the second-most likely candidate to secure the nomination.
While receiving comparatively lower support, Newsom has been working to reshape his national image. According to the Associated Press, the California governor has been attempting to appeal “to the political center” and “shed his national reputation as a San Francisco liberal” as he considers his next political move.
Buttigieg addressed the possibility of a presidential bid during a “Substack Live” interview published May 13. “There are times I follow that process and decided to run, and there are times I followed that process and decided not to run — and the process can lead you to surprising places,” he said, adding that “any kind of decision process there is a long way off,” Newsweek reported.
The poll also measured preferences among Republican-identifying voters. 37.3% of Republican respondents said they would vote for Vice President JD Vance in the 2028 Republican primaries. Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed with 18.7% support.
Other GOP contenders included Donald Trump Jr., who received 8.8%, while 15.6% of Republican voters said they would choose “none of the above.”
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