California Gov. Gavin Newsom is gaining in popularity with Democrat voters and has emerged as a top contender in the party’s 2028 presidential primary cycle, according to a new Morning Consult poll released Tuesday.
According to the survey, 19% of Democrats and left-leaning independents say they support Newsom, a spike of 8 percentage points since the June poll, The Hill reported.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s 2024 nominee, leads with 29% support, a drop of 7 points since the March survey. And 22% chose “someone else,” while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was at 9%, followed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at 6%, according to the poll.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro garnered 4%; Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker were at 3% each; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear came in at 2% each; Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was at 1%, according to the poll.
Newsom’s spike was fueled by Generation X voters (a 19-point uptick) as well as men and white voters (15 points each), according to the survey.
Morning Consult surveyed 1,000 Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents Aug. 22-24.
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