Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is leading the 2028 Democratic field for president in New Hampshire, according to a new poll from the University of New Hampshire.
Nineteen percent in the Granite State Poll backed Buttigieg, who ran for president in 2020 in the Democratic primary and later notched a spot in former President Biden’s administration, leading the Department of Transportation. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) came in second behind Buttigieg in the poll, with 15 percent support.
There has been a heated debate among Democrats on how to move forward from the chaotic 2024 election cycle, which featured former President Biden bowing out of the race after a disastrous debate performance, assassination attempts on President Trump and former Vice President Harris stepping into the race on short notice.
Harris herself earned 11 percent backing in the New Hampshire poll among the prospective 2028 candidates.
Some left-leaning Democrats have pushed for their party to lean more in their direction, while some centrists have blamed the left wing for recent electoral losses.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a notable member of the Democratic left flank who garnered 14 percent in the New Hampshire poll, has recently positioned herself as a leading figure among her party.
Over the last year, Ocasio-Cortez has been on the road with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as part of the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, which has aimed to rally Democrats.
The University of New Hampshire poll took place from Oct. 16 to 21, featuring 1,547 New Hampshire residents and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Likely 2028 Democratic presidential primary voters in the poll totaled 602, with their own margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
