Newsom Surges to Big Lead in 2028 Democratic Primary, New Poll Shows

GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM’S NEW TACK OF MOCKING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S SOCIAL MEDIA STYLE HAS MADE HIM BY FAR THE MOST POPULAR DEMOCRATIC POLITICIAN IN AMERICA, MAYBE THE WORLD! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!Sorry for shouting, but the news is big – even though Election Day 2028 is still 1,164 days away. The latest Emerson College poll shows the California governor doubling his support among Democratic primary voters to 25 percent in the last two months. The surge positions Mr. Newsom well ahead of other potential candidates as Democrats begin looking toward the next presidential cycle.President Biden’s transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, holds second place in the poll with 16 percent support, consistent with his June numbers, while Vice President Kamala Harris saw her support decline 2 points to 11 percent over the same period.“Governor Newsom’s support surged across key demographic groups, highlighted by a 12-point increase among voters under 30 (6% to 18%) an 18-point increase among voters over 70 (13% to 31%), and a 14-point increase among both Black (9% to 23%) and White (10% to 24%) voters,” the executive director of Emerson College polling, Spencer Kimball, said in the report.The remaining potential Democratic candidates each received less than 10 percent support. These include Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont; Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois; Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania; Governor Wes Moore of Maryland; Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota; Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky; Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota; Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey; the former U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel; and Congressman Ro Khanna of California.Notably, nearly as many respondents, 3.1 percent, said they wanted “someone else” as did respondents who said they preferred Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who earned 4.1 percent. Sixteen percent remained undecided.As he positions himself as a leading Democratic voice opposing President Trump’s second-term agenda, the California governor has raised his national profile through social media by frequently mocking Mr. Trump on X with posts written in a similar style to the president’s. In the latest example, Mr. Newsom wrote on X this week: “BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT KID ROCK IS NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR GREAT STATE, I AM GIVING SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO TAKING AWAY HIS RESIDENCY. HE IS A THREAT TO CALIFORNIA’S EARDRUMS, AND SHOULD REMAIN IN THE WONDERFUL STATE OF MICHIGAN, IF THEY WANT HIM. GOD BLESS AMERICA! — GCN.”Despite Mr. Newsom’s lead, the poll — several years ahead of the actual primaries — underscored the wide-open nature of the Democratic field, with no candidate securing support from anywhere close to half of primary voters.Mr. Newsom’s rising poll numbers coincide with his increased national visibility in ongoing redistricting disputes. Texas Republicans, responding to pressure from Mr. Trump, recently passed a new House map designed to help Republicans gain five seats in the 2026 midterm elections. The map awaits the signature of Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican.In response, Mr. Newsom and other California Democrats have prepared their own House redistricting map aimed at offsetting expected Republican gains in Texas. California voters will decide on the Democratic map in a special election this November.Mr. Newsom is spearheading a major fundraising effort to redraw the state’s congressional map, raising over $12 million in the opening weeks of a campaign that could determine control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where only a handful of seats separates the parties.With about five weeks remaining before early voting begins on Proposition 50, both sides have mobilized significant resources. Supporters and opponents have each secured more than $10 million in funding, though political analysts expect total spending to exceed $100 million before the November 4 election.Mr. Newsom has framed the redistricting effort as essential resistance to what he characterizes as Mr. Trump’s authoritarian agenda. The governor has expressed concerns that the president may attempt to remain in office beyond the constitutional two-term limit.“Wake up, we’re losing this country in real time,” Mr. Newsom said. “This is not bloviating. This is not exaggeration. It’s happening.”

Newsom Surges to Big Lead in 2028 Democratic Primary, New Poll Shows

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