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Polls: One Name Stands Apart as the 2028 Dem Nominee for the White House
by Michael Austin on November 11, 2025
Governor Gavin NewsomJustin Sullivan / Getty Images
California Governor Gavin Newsom, according to the polling average, currently holds a solid plurality of the votes with 25.5 percent according to RealClear Polling. Though his leadership in California is a tried and true point of criticism regularly rolled out by his Republican opponents, California Democrats have nevertheless shown loyalty for Newsom, proving he may perform well with the Democratic base.
Whether or not he'll be able to win over moderates in a national election, however, remains a point of contentious debate.
Former Vice President Kamala HarrisMario Tama / Getty Images
What may come as a surprise to many is the name of the current runner-up for 2028: Former Vice President Kamala Harris. Though Harris suffered a substantial loss to President Donald Trump in the 2024 election, her polling average still remains strong at 20 percent on the dot, only 5.5 points behind Newsom.
As time passes, however, don't be too surprised if Harris continues to slip in the polls. After her 2026 loss to Trump, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton still managed to show up in polls regarding preferred candidates for the 2020 presidential contest. Again, don't be surprised if Harris goes the way of Clinton.
Pete ButtigiegSpencer Platt / Getty Images
Though he worked in the extremely progressive Biden administration, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg postures himself as a more moderate voice. In terms of policy, however, Buttigieg is still about as progressive as anyone else in the American left-wing.
Though his RealClear Polling average still places him in third place among all candidates with a respectable 11.8 percent, its far more likely that Buttigieg fades away than grows his league, as happened in his bid for the presidency in the 2020 race.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAngela Weiss - AFP / Getty Images
Seen by many as the leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez remains another highly-favored potential 2028 candidate. Considering the success of progressive candidates like New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, it's possible that the next few years will see the Mamdanis and Ocasio-Cortezs of the Democratic Party cement themselves as its center.
If that becomes the case, if the progressive wing manages to control the direction of the Democratic Party, then Ocasio-Cortez's share of the polling average, which currently stands at 8.3 percent, will undoubtedly rise.
Governor JB PritzkerDaniel Boczarski / Getty Images for No Kings
The fifth-highest vote-getter in the RealClear Polling averages, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, will have quite a hard time getting the 2028 nomination. For now, though, Pritzker's support stands at 4.7 percent.
The Democrat governor's high standing in the rankings likely comes as a result of his frequent bouts with President Trump over federal immigration operations taking place in the city of Chicago. Fighting Donald Trump regularly will get him some short-term favorability among a small percentage of the Democratic base, but it likely won't be enough to catapult him to any sort of chance at the White House.
