Former Vice President Kamala Harris may be facing a cold reception from her own party’s activist base as Democrats begin sizing up the 2028 presidential field.
The 2024 Democratic nominee finished a distant 16th in a straw poll of potential 2028 contenders at Crooked Con, a progressive political convention held in Washington, D.C., from Thursday through Saturday following Tuesday’s midterm elections. The gathering drew progressive and Democratic-aligned activists, politicians, strategists and journalists, who were asked to name their first choice for the party’s next presidential nominee.
Harris collected just six votes out of 990 cast, placing her behind lesser-known names such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut.
The clear winner was Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, who took 38.4% of the vote after cruising to re-election Tuesday by roughly 18 points over Republican Rep. Mike Collins. The margin stood out in a state that has backed only two Democratic presidential candidates in the last 11 elections.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York finished second with 16.6%, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 13.9%. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker placed fourth, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear rounded out the top five. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pritzker and Harris each drew less than 5% of the vote.
Ossoff has also emerged as the top choice in prediction markets, though he has publicly downplayed any presidential ambitions. During an October debate with Collins, Ossoff said he had “zero interest in running for president.”
Election analyst Nate Silver, speaking at the convention, described Ossoff as a compromise candidate who could bridge the party’s progressive and centrist wings, calling him very talented.
Ocasio-Cortez’s strong second-place finish comes as the progressive wing of the party has been energized by a string of primary victories this cycle. The New York congresswoman drew attention for a $1 million donation to Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign in Michigan, a move one Democratic insider told the New York Post signaled national ambitions. Ocasio-Cortez said in September that she was considering a range of options for her political future, including a presidential run.
The straw poll is informal, but Harris’s poor showing adds to a series of troubling signs for the former vice president. Her finish follows reports that her husband, Doug Emhoff, has privately signaled he does not want her to run again in 2028.
Harris has spent recent months courting the party’s progressive wing, embracing proposals she did not campaign on in 2024, including expanding the Supreme Court and abolishing the Electoral College. She has said she has not yet decided whether she will seek the presidency again. In September, she campaigned alongside Ossoff in Georgia during the final stretch of his re-election fight.
National polling has also shown her standing slipping. An Emerson College survey conducted in July placed Buttigieg first at 19% and Newsom at 17%, with Ossoff and Ocasio-Cortez tied at 13%. Harris trailed all four at 8%.
Prediction markets remain more optimistic about her prospects, ranking her the fourth most likely Democratic nominee.
No major Democrat has formally entered the 2028 race.
