Dems looking to AOC or Buttigieg for presidential nominee in 2028: UNH poll

NY Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Joe Biden's former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg lead the field of potential candidates for the 2028 New Hampshire Democratic primary, according to a poll by the University of New Hampshire (UNH).

The poll, released on Wednesday, found that 22 percent of likely 2028 Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire would vote for Ocasio-Cortez if the election were held today with 21 percent of voters selecting Buttigieg. 

Additionally, 9 percent of respondents backed Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, followed by 8 percent for California Governor Gavin Newsom, and 6 percent for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Former Vice President Kamala Harris garnered a measly 5 percent—just 2 points more than she earned when she ran for president herself in 2020.

The numbers mark a notable jump for Ocasio-Cortez, whose support is up 7 percent since last February. Over the same period, Newsom fell 7 points, and Harris dropped 5. Much of Ocasio-Cortez’s support appears to be fueled by the far-left. She has been backing socialist candidates across the US.

“Nearly half of socialists and one-third of progressives support Ocasio-Cortez, while pluralities of liberals and moderates support Buttigieg,” the results stated. “Kelly draws much of his support from liberals, while Newsom draws most from moderates, and Sanders draws most from socialists.”

Ocasio-Cortez has not officially indicated that she would run for president in 2028, but speculation has only grown as she has avoided answering questions regarding a future Senate or presidential bid. 

"They assume that my ambition is a title or a seat," Ocasio-Cortez said in May. "And my ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country."

A potential Ocasio-Cortez run comes amid reports that the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), of which Ocasio-Cortez is a member through its New York City chapter, looks to line up a candidate to support in the next Democratic presidential primary. Her relationship with the group, however, hasn’t been simple. The DSA withdrew its conditional endorsement of the congresswoman in 2024 for not being sufficiently supportive of Palestine.

On the Republican side, the UNH poll found that 36 percent of those who plan to vote in the 2028 Republican presidential primary would back Vice President JD Vance. Another 26 percent said they would support Secretary of State Marco Rubio. No other candidate had double-digit support.

The overall poll surveyed 1,458 residents in New Hampshire between July 15 and July 20.