Support broadens beyond Harris, Newsom in Democratic primary poll

By Morgan Sweeney
The Center Square

While former Vice President and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris remains the Democratic frontrunner for 2028, according to new polling, her support, and that for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, may be shifting to other members of the Democratic Party.

In the latest The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll conducted from June 4-6 among registered voters who identify as Democrats and left-leaning Independents, Harris maintained a strong lead, capturing the support of 27% of the 1,224 polled. Newsom was a distant second among the names listed, with 14% support.

But both Harris and Newsom have slipped from where they landed in October and March Voters’ Voice Polls. Harris was at 33% in the fall, 31% in March and is now at 27%; Newsom had 21% in the fall, then 16% in March, and now, 14%.

Support for former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg broke into the double digits for the first time, jumping 4 points from the 7% he held in both of the earlier polls. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost a couple points in March but regained them to finish with 8% support.

Seventeen percent of voters surveyed indicated they were unsure who they would vote for in the 2028 primary – the same amount of uncertainty among Republicans and right-leaning independents polled in the GOP primary.

Harris performed best among Black and young voters: 49% of Black voters polled said they would vote for Harris in 2028, and 48% of voters ages 18-29.

Among voters grouped by education level, Harris drew the most support from those without a college education, at 35%. And though whites supported her the least of any racial group, she still led all the other candidates there, with 17%, followed by Newsom and Buttigieg at 16% and 15%, respectively.

Harris topped every demographic category except two: voters 65 and older and respondents with postgraduate degrees. Among seniors, Newsom led with 23% support, followed by Buttigieg at 15%, while Harris received 11% support. Postgraduates also favored Newsom, who edged Harris 19% to 18%, with Buttigieg close behind at 16%.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro performed best among those remaining, capturing a combined 9% of respondents. Other names polled were the Illinois and Maryland governors, J.B. Pritzker and Wes Moore, Democratic senators from New Jersey, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Connecticut — Cory Booker, Andy Beshear, Amy Klobuchar, Chris Murphy – and California Rep. Ro Khanna.

The poll was conducted nationally by Noble Predictive Insights using an opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages to survey registered voters. The sample consisted of 1,013 Democrats and 211 left-leaning Independents. It is among the most comprehensive tracking polls in the country.