Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has emerged as an early favorite in a hypothetical 2028 race, leading in a new poll of Democratic voters in New Hampshire, the first state in the presidential primary.
Buttigieg is leading a crowded crowd of young Democrats who were marginalized by former President Joe Biden as he sought re-election. Biden ultimately ended his campaign months before Election Day, hampered by questions about his age (he was 81 at the time) and mental acuity.
According to the University of New Hampshire, granite state pollButtigieg, who ran for president in 2020 before joining Biden’s Cabinet, received 19% support in the hypothetical Democratic primary.
California Governor Gavin Newsom came in second place with 15% approval rating, narrowly edging out New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is popular among progressives. All eyes are on whether Ocasio-Cortez will run for president in 2028 or whether she will challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York in her re-election race.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic nominee, garnered 11% support, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (Illinois and Vermont) with 8% and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker with 6%.
Other Democrats, including Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, each had approval ratings of less than 3%.
A further 10% of respondents said they had not decided yet.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points among likely Democratic primary voters, suggesting Buttigieg, Newsom and Ocasio-Cortez are effectively tied as early front-runners, but this is very early in a four-year presidential cycle.
Democrats are at a crossroads after a painful 2024 election cycle in which they lost support across nearly every age, income and racial group. Some argue that the party has moved too far to the left, particularly on social issues, and needs to “soften” its image by becoming more pro-business, less “politically correct” and more open to ideological diversity.
Others, especially progressives, argue that Democrats should return to their New Deal roots by championing social programs and populist economic policies aimed at reengaging working-class Americans who have felt abandoned by the party and marginalized by a political system that favors the wealthy and well-connected.
Mr. Buttigieg, and to a lesser extent Mr. Newsom, also belong to the moderate camp, considered liberal but not fully progressive. Mr Buttigieg is criticized It can sound reprimanding and preachy, especially to young men who feel they are pandering to other identity groups at the expense of themselves. He is also seen as more conciliatory toward donors, corporate interests and Republicans, traits that don’t sit well with the party’s left wing.
If Buttigieg is elected, he will make history as the country’s first openly gay president. But his sexuality will almost certainly be a lightning rod for conservatives. Some conservatives spread false rumors about his HIV status, mocked his parental leave after he and her husband adopted two children with health issues, and dismissed him as an unqualified “diversity hire” within the Biden administration. A far-right minority has even accused him of “faking” his sexuality to “woke” voters and appeal to career advancement.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
