Report · Politics

Harris is Democrats' early favorite for 2028

Reading

In a Verasight survey of 864 Democratic respondents conducted April 21 to 23, 2026, Kamala Harris led the hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary field, with 22% choosing her.

Gavin Newsom followed at 15%, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 13%, Pete Buttigieg at 12%, and Bernie Sanders at 11%.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

22% of Democrats chose Kamala Harris in the hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary.

If the 2028 Democratic presidential primary were held today, who would you vote for?

  • Kamala Harris 22.5%
  • Gavin Newsom 15.3%
  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 13.4%
  • Pete Buttigieg 12.1%
  • Bernie Sanders 11.4%
  • Mark Kelly 6.3%
  • Not sure 4.9%
  • Josh Shapiro 4.5%
  • Cory Booker 3.6%
  • JB Pritzker 2.5%
  • Amy Klobuchar 1.5%
  • Gretchen Whitmer 1.2%
  • Someone else (please specify): 0.9%

2026 · base n 864 · +/- 3.5%

April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-04-21 → 2026-04-23
Base (unweighted)
864
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey

Source

Citation

April 2026 Verasight Variety Survey, fielded April 21-23, 2026, N=864 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/variety10126#q-10

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.