AOC Jumps Out to Strong Lead In Early Presidential Poll, While Kamala Harris Barely Registers

Screenshot via YouTube

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) jumped to the top of a new 2028 presidential poll while former Vice President Kamala Harris barely registered.

The University of New Hampshire released the poll on Wednesday, showing Ocasio-Cortez leading the field of potential 2028 Democratic presidential nominees, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

According to the data, Ocasio-Cortez leads the pack with 22% support while Buttigieg closely follows with 21%. Harris only scored 5% support, while California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) trailed with less than 10% each.

Ocasio-Cortez’s support comes mostly from “self-described socialists and progressives,” UNH’s Survey Center noted, while Buttigieg’s backing is more evenly spaced out among “progressives, liberals, and moderates.”

No other Democratic candidates earned more than 2% in UNH’s polling. New Hampshire is an early and key primary state and can serve as a strong indicator for potential nominees.

On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance leads the pack 36% support, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio with 26% support. Other GOP candidates all scored less than 10%, led by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who garnered 8%.

The poll was conducted among more than 1,500 respondents who took online surveys between July 15-July 20. The margin of error is 2.6%.

A Democrat who did not rank in the UNH poll was Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), who has been the top fundraiser in the Senate.

While Ossoff didn’t rate in the New Hampshire survey, Kalshi prediction markets have tripled his 2028 chances from 5% in January to 16% today.

According to Kalshi, Ocasio-Cortez’s chances have gone from 10% in January to 15% today. Newsom, meanwhile, saw his numbers drop from 35% in January to 18% now.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten noted on Wednesday that Google searches for Ossoff are the highest they’ve ever been, and saw a 300% jump this month compared to July 2025.

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