Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ support for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary surged to 50 percent in a new survey from the Center for American Political Studies and the Harris Poll, strengthening her position as the early front-runner if she chooses to run.
Chatter about the 2028 election is underway as potential candidates test their message, even though the first votes will not be cast in the primaries until early 2028. The poll signals that Harris would have an early lead for the Democratic nomination.
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ team for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Prominent prospective candidates like Harris could begin announcing their campaigns in less than a year, as hopefuls typically begin announcing soon after the midterm elections. Harris launched her 2020 campaign in January 2019.
Early polls are not always predictive of final outcomes, but they do have major implications for candidates. Donors and voters use polls to gauge whether a candidate is viable, so the numbers matter for their ability to fundraise and garner media attention.
What to Know
The new Harvard/Harris poll released Tuesday showed Harris with support from 50 percent of Democrats in the 2028 primary race—up from 41 percent in March and 39 percent in January and February.
The poll “shows that Harris is a credible candidate,” Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science at Columbia University, told Newsweek, noting that the trend should be compared to other candidates.
“These results, should they continue, can help Harris in getting campaign contributions and this becomes a further indication of Harris’ strength as a candidate,” he said. “But, again, other potential candidates may be getting increased approval among Democratic voters. Her advantage for now is name recognition.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom followed Harris with 22 percent support, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro received 9 percent. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, a favorite among progressives, received 8 percent, while Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker received 6 percent.
Five percent said they would vote for someone else.
Notably, not all prospective candidates were included in the poll. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear are among the potential candidates the pollster did not ask about.
The poll surveyed 2,745 registered voters April 23-26 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.87 percentage points.
Kamala Harris Tests Message in Key States
The jump in Harris’ support comes as she has tested her message across the country. She spoke this month at a Democratic Women’s Caucus in Michigan, a battleground state she narrowly lost in 2024. Over the weekend, she spoke at the Arkansas Democratic Party’s Fisher Shackelford Dinner in Little Rock.
She also appeared in Greenville and Columbia, South Carolina, an early-voting state in the Democratic primary that was crucial to bolstering former President Joe Biden’s primary bid in 2020.
Harris benefits from high name recognition among Democratic voters. Some have said the party should embrace a new candidate, pointing to her loss to President Donald Trump in 2024. Others have argued that she was dealt a bad hand, having to build a campaign in a matter of weeks after Biden withdrew from the race—noting that she improved on Biden’s poll numbers and may have prevented a Democratic down-ballot collapse.
Harris was floated as a potential candidate in the 2024 California gubernatorial race but opted against running. The decision fueled speculation about her interest in 2028.
How This Compares to Other Polls
Other recent polls reveal Harris as a front-runner.
A recent YouGov poll showed her lead with 24 percent support, followed by Newsom at 12 percent. Ocasio-Cortez and Buttigieg both received 9 percent, while independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders was at 7 percent and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly 5 percent.
It surveyed 2,189 adults April 8-13 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
An Echelon Insights poll showed her with 22 percent, followed by Newsom at 21 percent, Buttigieg at 12 and Ocasio-Cortez at 10. No other candidates polled in the double digits. It polled 1,012 likely voters April 17-20 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
What Harris Has Said About Potential 2028 Run
Harris has suggested she could run again in 2028 but has not made a formal announcement.
“I might. I am thinking about it,” she told the Reverend Al Sharpton this month after he asked whether she planned to run for president in 2028.
Her comments came during the National Action Network’s annual convention, where more than a half‑dozen prospective Democratic contenders engaged with Black voters, one of the party’s most reliable and influential voting blocs.
“I served for four years being a heartbeat away from the presidency of the United States,” Harris said. “I spent countless hours in my West Wing office footsteps away from the Oval Office. I spent countless hours in the Oval Office and the Situation Room. I know what the job is, and I know what it requires.”
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