Democrats have overwhelmingly selected former Vice President Kamala Harris as their preferred candidate for the 2028 US presidential election, in a Morning Consult poll released on Friday.
Despite losing the 2024 election to president Donald Trump four months ago, Harris, 60, held a significant lead ahead of her 19 Democratic competitors.
The mock 2028 primary showed Harris, held 36 per cent of the support from likely Democratic voters.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came in second place with 10 per cent support, followed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who all tied for third with 5 per cent support.
Other names on the survey’s ballot that received support (in the single digits), included Mark Cuban, Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
In November 2024, similar results were seen in the Puck News/Echelon Insights survey, where roughly 41 per cent of likely Democratic voters said they would vote for Harris to be at the top of the Democratic ticket in four years. Results also showed none of her competitors even reached double digits.
It’s not clear if Harris holds intentions to run for president in 2028, but there have been reports of her potential to run for California governor in 2026, as the current governor, Gavin Newsom, is coming to the end of his possible terms in office.
Soon after the 2024 presidential election, Politico reported that Harris had been instructing advisers and allies to keep her options open.
“I am staying in the fight,” Harris had reportedly said in phone calls.
One Harris ally told Politico: “She proved a lot of skeptics wrong as a political athlete. And her standing with the public is as good as any Democrats with the name I.D. that she has.”