The surging national popularity of Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, coupled with the fading voter interest in former Vice President Kamala Harris, is pointing to a potential 2028 presidential campaign matchup of Newsom and Vice President JD Vance.
In new monthly polling provided to Washington Secrets from McLaughlin & Associates, Newsom’s support doubled from July to August while Harris has stalled.
Also, two potential candidates that had been on the rise — Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and former Biden-era Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — experienced no growth in popularity last month.
McLaughlin said that Newsom’s support surged from 9% in July to 18% in August, making him second to Harris, who was at 27% when voters were asked which Democrat they would support in the 2028 race. She had 36% support in February.
Pollster John McLaughlin suggested that as Newsom continues to challenge the Trump administration, especially on redistricting issues, his rise as the 2028 Democratic front-runner will continue.
“Newsom has moved to a strong second place in Democratic primary and as the redistricting grows, he may move to first,” McLaughlin told Secrets.
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Meanwhile on the GOP side, Vance continues to dominate as he has done in the pollster’s monthly surveys. Vance currently has the support of 36%. He is followed by Donald Trump Jr. at 16% and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 10%.
Having served two terms, though not consecutively, President Donald Trump is not permitted to run for a third term.