AOC surges past Buttigieg, leaves Harris in the dust in key 2028 battleground poll

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Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to take steps toward 2028 White House bid

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s increasing political influence.They discuss her national tour, visiting Pennsylvania, Georgia, Alabama and Montana, and her potential presidential run in 2028.Fowler highlights her ability to mobilize supporters around key issues, potentially making her a strong contender for leadership.

Progressive firebrand Rep.AlexandriaOcasio-Cortezhas surged to the front of the prospective 2028 Democratic presidential field in New Hampshire, edging Pete Buttigieg and leaving Kamala Harris far behind in a new poll.

Ocasio-Cortez drew 22% support among likelyDemocratic primary votersin the University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll released Wednesday, one point ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and 17 points ahead offormer Vice President Kamala Harris.

Ocasio-Cortez gained seven points since the February survey, while Harris and California Gov.Gavin Newsom lost ground — another sign of the New York lawmaker’s growing strength among Democratic voters in the early presidential battleground.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol.

Rep.Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during a news conference on April 29, 2026, outside the U.S.Capitol.(Tom Brenner/Getty Images)

Ocasio-Cortez has been coy about her 2028 plans and careful not to rule out either a White House run in the race to succeed term-limited PresidentDonald Trump, or a bid for the Senate against longtime Democratic Leader Sen.Chuck Schumer, who is up for re-election in two years.When asked about a run for higher office, Ocasio-Cortez recently said her goal is to “change the country.”

Buttigieg, a moderatewho as the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came in second in the 2020 New Hampshire presidential primary, has crisscrossed the country in support of fellow Democrats the past year as speculation builds around a possible 2028 run.

“Nearly half of socialists and one-third of progressives support Ocasio-Cortez, while pluralities of liberals and moderates support Buttigieg,” Andrew Smith, the director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, said.

KAMALA HARRIS’ TRAVELS AND COMMENTS CLEARLY POINT TO A 2028 RUN

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg greets patrons during a stop at a restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb.19, 2026.

Sen.Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired astronaut, stood in third place in the poll, at 9%, with term-limited Newsom a point back.Newsom’s support dropped seven points since the February survey.

Independent Sen.Bernie Sandersof Vermont, the 2016 and 2020 runner-up in the Democratic presidential primaries, stood at 6%.The 84-year-old Sanders, asked about another White House run, said last month, “I suspect that’s not going to happen.” He jokingly added, “I know I look like I’m 30.I am not.”

Meanwhile,Harris, the party’s 2024 nominee after she replaced then-President Joe Biden, who dropped out less than four months before the election following a disastrous debate against Trump, grabbed only 5% support in the new poll, down from 10% in February.

While the former vice president’s numbers in the new New Hampshire survey are nothing to brag about, she tops an average of the latest national polls in the hypothetical race for the 2028 Democratic nomination.Surveys in the early stages of a presidential cycle are often heavily influenced by the name recognition of the potential candidates.

DEMOCRACY �

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with patrons during a stop at Crave restaurant ahead of a South Carolina Democratic Party fundraiser on April 15, 2026, in Greenville, S.C(Meg Kinnard/AP Photo)
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Everyone else in the large field of potential contenders tested in the new New Hampshire poll registered at 2% or less.
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New Hampshire held the first-in-the-nation presidential primary for a century, before Democrats upended their nominating calendar in the 2024 cycle, moving South Carolina to the lead-off position.The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) Rules and Bylaws panel is likely on Friday to unveil a new calendar for the 2028 cycle, which would be voted on at the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, next month.
Republicans have not altered their calendar, keeping the Iowa caucuses as their lead-off state, followed by New Hampshire.
In the race for the GOP presidential nomination, 36% of likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire said they would support Vice PresidentJD Vance, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 26%.
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Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting at the White House on March 17, 2026.(Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Sen.Rand Paul of Kentucky, who ran for the nomination in 2016 and is mulling another bid, stood at 8% in the survey, along with former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov.Nikki Haley, who was the runner-up to Trump in 2024.
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Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis, who also bid for the nomination in 2024, grabbed 6% support, with everyone else tested at 4% or less.