A poll of California Democrats released Wednesday puts California Gov. Gavin Newsom six points up on former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Politico released the poll that focused on the 2028 Democrat Presidential primary, questioning registered California Democrats, along with Democrat-leaning independents in the state. The poll was conducted with partner organizations Citrin Center and Possibility Lab.
The 25% to 19% favorability for Newsom may be a reflection of his level of activism opposing policies of President Donald Trump, while Harris has taken a more off-stage position, including an indication that she was not interested in running for governor in California.
Both have stayed visible with recent posts about the congressional redistricting effort in Texas led by the state’s majority Republican lawmakers. Harris is urging supporters to “fight back,” and Newsom is directing his supporters to “fight back against Donald Trump’s tyranny.”
The Politico survey showed that of the registered California Democrats who responded to the survey, 75% were “excited” about the potential of Newsom running for the White House, with 67% enthusiastic about a Harris candidacy.
Survey partner, UC Berkeley political science professor Jack Citrin, said Harris still resonates with voters. “There’s affection for her, but maybe less confidence that she would be a strong candidate,” he said. In contrast, he said Newsom is “in the news every day. If you think someone is running, you’re more likely to support them.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg trailed Harris in the poll by 6 points, matching the spread between Harris and Newsom. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez followed Buttigieg by 3 points.
Other potential Democrat presidential candidates that showed in the poll, all in the single digits, include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, and California Rep. Ro Khanna.
A separate but connected survey of about 400 policy influencers favored Buttigieg as the Democrat Presidential candidate at 19%, followed by 14% going with Newsom and only 2% favoring Harris.
The poll questioned 1,445 total registered voters, including 807 registered Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents. The error estimate for the full sample is +/- 2.6 percent.
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