Harris drops as favorite in 2028 Democrat primary race

The more they see of her, the less they like her. That is the problem that Kamala Harris faces today.

Harris finally crawled out from under her rock over the last few weeks, and all it did was hurt her profile nationally, while the people of California continue to embrace her.

Kamala and CA Gubernatorial Race

Kamala Harris has not even announced if she will be running for governor yet, but she is the overwhelming favorite in a very boring field of candidates who have already announced.

Even so, voters are not exactly thrilled with the idea of Harris being the top choice.

Politico and UC Berkeley recently ran a poll on the subject, and it was stunning to see the lack of enthusiasm overall for the current frontrunner.

UC Berkeley Citrin Center explained, “It’s almost a surprising lack of enthusiasm” from Latinos. “But we know from the general election that Latino voters shifted as compared to 2020 or 2016 towards Trump.” Only 35% of black voters felt “joyful” about her running. And while the response among registered Democrat voters was high on Harris, there was overwhelming indifference among all voters. (To read the full breakdown, click here.)

Top Contenders

While Harris is likely to run and win in California, she surely wants to get back into the presidential race, but I am not sure 2028 will be the best time for her. I think she needs to serve as a two-term governor to create a record (however, based on her Senate record, it may actually hurt her for a national appeal).

Outside of Harris, one of the top contenders for the Democrat nod will be Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom has raised his profile considerably by pushing back against Trump’s deployment of the National Guard, and the lefties are eating it up.

There are quite a few publications touting AOC as the best choice, but I don’t see it. Nationally, I don’t think her socialist agenda will play, and she really has no record to stand on. She is more of a social media star than a lawmaker.

Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN host, but he has been getting some grip as the new “outsider” candidate of choice. This just goes to show you how far the Democrat Party has fallen that someone like Smith is even being talked about as a possible candidate.

If the Election Were Today…

The fact that JD Vance is polling at the top for the GOP should not surprise anyone. His success, however, will be tied to Trump’s presidency in the general election. The problem, however, is that if Trump flops, no GOP candidate will win, which is why I think someone like Ron DeSantis should sit out 2028 and wait to run until 2032 if the GOP loses in 2028, or 2032 if they win.

The shocking reveal in the latest polling was not only that Kamala Harris is no longer in the top spot, but that it was former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who has taken over. He was a disaster as a mayor, and even worse as Secretary of Transportation, but the left seems to be more about checking boxes these days than it is in putting qualified candidates on the ticket.

Outside of Buttigieg, the biggest move in polling was Gavin Newsom, who picked up about 5% in support. The real picture, however, is that realistically, the Democrat primary race is now wide open, as all the top candidates are now within reach of each other.

So, if the race were to be today, it would be Vance v. Buttigieg, but I don’t see that holding up. If the Dems have Buttigieg at the top of their ticket, I don’t see any way they could beat Vance. I will say this… watch out for Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA). I still believe he is a dark horse candidate for Democrats who could be a big problem for the GOP if he decides to run.