Kamala Harris’s 2028 dreams take a hit as progressives give her 6 votes, favor new face

WASHINGTON, DC: Former Vice President and 2024 Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, has seen her prospects of leading the nation as president take a hit, with a straw poll at a major progressive gathering showing little support among attendees for another presidential run.

Among the potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, party members appeared to favor the newly victorious Georgia Democrat, Jon Ossoff, as their preferred candidate.

Harris finishes 16th in poll for presidential nominee choice

A straw poll conducted at Crooked Con in Washington on Saturday, November 7, according to CNN’s Patrick Svitek, ranked the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee 16th among attendees’ choices for the party’s 2028 presidential candidate.

Harris finished behind several potential candidates, including Sen Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Sen Chris Murphy (D-CT), as she could only pull six votes out of total 990 votes cast.

However, Kalshi’s prediction market gives her better odds, ranking Harris as the fourth most likely candidate to secure the Democratic nomination in 2028.

Notably, Harris's disappointing rating in the poll follows reports that Dem donors and even her husband, Doug Emhoff, don’t want her to contest the 2028 presidential fight.

Jon Ossoff becomes  No. 1 choice for Democratic presidential nominee

Meanwhile, the newly re-elected Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) emerged as the top choice among progressives at Crooked Con. Ossoff, who won re-election by an 18-point margin on Tuesday, received 38.4% of the votes in the straw poll, well ahead of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who came second with 16.6%.

Nate Silver also described Ossoff as the current “slam dunk” candidate among Democrats for the 2028 presidential race, telling attendees at the convention that he could appeal to both progressive and centrist sections of the party.

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg finished third, Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) placed fourth, and Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) rounded out the top five.

AOC’s allies encourage her for 2028 bid

Given her growing political profile beyond her House district and home state, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's allies, including some members and chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have been encouraging her to contest the Democratic presidential primary.

She has continued to expand her national profile by campaigning alongside Democratic candidates in competitive races, including Michigan's Senate contest.

The Democratic presidential primary is expected to be crowded, with several big names like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff seen as potential candidates.