SHOCK POLL: AOC a Close Second Place Behind Kamala Harris in 2028 Democratic Primary

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is having a moment.

Ocasio-Cortez, who has spent the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term on a cross-country tour with Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), finished a close second behind only former Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in one recent poll measuring how Democrats feel about their options in the 2028 presidential race.

According to the Yale University survey, which was conducted earlier this month, Harris — who lost every swing state to Trump in the 2024 election —  has the support of 27.5% of Democrats, while Ocasio-Cortez has he support of 21.3%.

Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (14%), California Governor Gavin Newsom (6.4%), and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (4.6%) were the other three to round out the top five finishers in the survey.

Impressively, Ocasio-Cortez boasted the highest net favorability rating of all the potential candidates — +62%, with 41% saying they had a “strongly favorable” view of her — while also sporting the second highest name recognition, behind only Harris again.

On Wednesday, political analysts Nate Silver and Galen Druke both touted Ocasio-Cortez’s strong chances of securing the top spot on the Democratic ticket in 2028.

“In a Yale poll just out this week, AOC has the highest net favorability rating of any of the Democrats that they asked about,” pointed out Druke. “So that means that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has broad appeal across the Democratic Party and there’s a lot of people who could potentially get on board with her. But I think equally important is the fact that she has very fervent support. I think a lot of people are gonna run in 2028 and it’s going to be a contest for attention and getting those sort of people who might be in your boat to turn out and stay with you through thick and thin, and I think that’s Ocasio-Cortez.”

“I agree with everything,” replied Silver. “She was going to be my first pick, and I can’t conceal that now, right? Because of some of the polling; because she has this kind of progressive lane, probably not to herself; because she is younger and media savvy.”