Washington DC - California Governor Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris are nearly tied in the latest Democratic primary poll for the 2028 presidential election.
A nationwide survey of 800 likely Democratic primary voters identified 13 potential contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.
The Lake Research Partners poll was conducted in early May and revealed that in a one-on-one matchup, Harris and Newsom are closely tied, with the former vice president clinching the nomination at 52%.
This is well within the survey's margin of error, and doesn't really say much about either candidate's popularity among Democratic voters. This is largely because the poll's ranked choice system allowed them to pick up second and third-choice support from other rivals.
When asked to rank their first choice of candidate, only 26% of those surveyed voted for Harris, compared to 17% for Newsom.
The Newsom-Harris face-off came as the result of 12 rounds of ranked choice voting. Other candidates included, but weren't limited to, Pete Buttigieg, Mark Kelly, Josh Shapiro, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Perhaps the most interesting result, however, was how participants responded to the ranked choice voting system itself: 63% of those polled supported using such a system for presidential primaries.
"The poll shows that ranked choice voting is popular among Democratic voters, and a perfect tool for a crowded 2028 primary," said Celinda Lake, Lake Research Partners' president.
"It can bring unity in a divided field. It fosters competition and choice. It's a more inclusive system, giving more voters a voice in who the party nominates. Most importantly, voters like ranked choice voting and find it easy."