California Governor Gavin Newsom is currently at the top of the list for the 2028 Democratic nomination, followed closely by Pete Buttigieg and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new survey released Thursday.
According to a poll conducted by Emerson College Polling in February, Newsom leads at 20% among Democratic primary voters, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 16% and Vice President Kamala Harris at 13%. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez follows at 9%, Josh Shapiro at 7%, and Andy Beshear at 5%. A total of 24% remain undecided. Spencer Kimball, the college’s executive director, said that people are beginning to identify themselves by age, gender, and education level. Vice President Kamala Harris currently leads among Black Americans, while Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leads among Americans under the age of 30.
As for the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance leads at a landslide 52% among Republican primary voters, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 20% and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 6%. A total of 11% remain undecided. Kimball said that Republican voters are rallying behind Vice President JD Vance, while independents who say they will vote in the Republican primary also support him, but not as strongly.
The survey found that Democrats currently lead Republicans by an eight-point margin among likely voters for the U.S. Congress, with 50% for Democrats compared to 42% for Republicans, as Americans begin to think about the 2026 midterm elections. The survey found that the cost of living was the biggest concern for Americans, followed by health care costs, inflation, deportation policy, health care access, and border security.
The survey was conducted Feb. 21-22 among 1,000 likely U.S. voters, with a credibility interval of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
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