Senator Jon Ossoff is gaining ground in early polling of the potential 2028 Democratic presidential field, as support for former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom has slipped from earlier highs.
Candidates typically begin announcing their runs after the midterms, though it’s not unprecedented for candidates to jump in even before those elections. No candidate in the poll has formally entered the 2028 presidential race.
Although Ossoff has previously indicated that he has “zero interest” in running for president in 2028, and regardless of the fact that the poll places him well behind the Democratic frontrunners at 7 percent, Morning Consult singled him out as “the mover” in the field after his support more than doubled from 3 percent in the previous polling wave. He has climbed from just 1 percent in May and is the only Democrat to post gains in three consecutive waves.
Harris remains the clear leader in the hypothetical Democratic primary field with 24 percent support, followed by Newsom at 12 percent and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 9 percent.
Morning Consult surveyed 2,203 registered voters from August 28-30, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. The 2028 primary results reflect responses from voters in each party’s respective primary.
Morning Consult described the Democratic race as “quieter on top and busier underneath.” Harris has remained unchanged across the last five polling waves, while Newsom has slid from 19 percent in June to his weakest point so far this year. Ossoff, meanwhile, has continued to gain.
Newsweek has reached out to Ossoff’s campaign for comment.
Patrick Casale, senior adviser to Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald, told Newsweek that Ossoff’s path to becoming a serious 2028 presidential contender could depend on how the Democratic Party’s socialist wing performs in the midterms.
If Democratic socialist candidates perform well, he predicted the party would push Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for president. But “if they lose in the midterms, they’re not going to run with her [AOC],” Casale said. “That’s where Ossoff’s numbers are going to work.”
Casale said he was not surprised by Newsom and Harris’ polling numbers.
“California is totally destroyed. He’s [Newsom has] destroyed paradise. He’s ruined paradise. And where’s Harris from? Oh, that would be California,” Casale said.
What Is Driving Attention Around Jon Ossoff?
Ossoff’s polling gains come as the Georgia senator has drawn increasing national attention in recent weeks, including for his more confrontational approach toward President Donald Trump and his administration.
During an August rally, Ossoff threw Trump aide Natalie Harp into the spotlight while criticizing the president’s priorities and handling of the Iran war.
“He doesn’t want to do the job,” Ossoff said of Trump. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie.”
Asked about Ossoff’s remarks the following day, Trump again compared the Georgia senator to Pee-wee Herman, calling him a “Pee-wee Herman lookalike” before adding: “No, I would much rather do other things.”
Ossoff later leaned into the reaction, telling MS NOW it had been “amazing” to watch the White House “melt down” over his remarks.
What Other 2028 Polls Show
Other recent polling has also placed Harris at the front of the potential 2028 Democratic field, though the size of her lead has varied considerably.
A Rasmussen Reports poll released earlier in August found Harris with 37 percent support among likely Democratic primary voters, putting her well ahead of Newsom, who received 14 percent. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York followed at 9 percent, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg received 8 percent.
The Rasmussen poll was conducted from July 15 to July 21 among 472 respondents.
An Emerson College poll conducted in July painted a different picture, with Buttigieg leading at 19 percent and Newsom at 17 percent. Ossoff and Ocasio-Cortez each received 13 percent, while Harris stood at 8 percent. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear received 7 percent, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro 5 percent and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker 3 percent.
Representative Ro Khanna received 2 percent, while 3 percent chose someone else and 13 percent were undecided. The poll was conducted from July 19 to July 20 among 574 respondents and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The Rasmussen and Emerson College polls paint markedly different pictures of the potential Democratic field, largely because of Harris’ standing.
What Does the Poll Show About the 2028 Republican Field?
The Morning Consult polling also found movement in the potential Republican presidential field, particularly for Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio received 22 percent support in the August poll, an increase of 7 percentage points from July. Morning Consult described the increase as the “first real movement in the Republican field since March” and said the jump exceeded the survey’s margin of error.
Vice President JD Vance remained the clear Republican front-runner with 36 percent support. However, Morning Consult noted that the figure was Vance’s lowest level in the polling so far and that his lead was less than half the 33-point advantage he held in March.
Rubio was also the only Republican other than Vance to reach double-digit support in any of Morning Consult’s polling waves.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis received 8 percent support, while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stood at 5 percent. Morning Consult said neither had moved outside the poll’s margin of error.
No candidate in the poll has formally entered the 2028 presidential race, and while Ossoff says he has “zero interest” in the position, Harris said she was “thinking” about it, AOC said her goal is to “change the world”, and Newsom left it to “fate.”
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gray R. Thomas