WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2028 appeal seems to be falling Ossoff.
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) emerged as the new Democratic golden boy, winning a 2028 straw poll at the Crooked Con progressive convention this weekend by a wide margin.
The Peach State Democrat topped the list of Democrats to win the 2028 nomination with 38% support, followed by “Squad” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) at 17%, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 14%.
All others were in the single digits: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker at 4%, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear at 4%, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at 4%, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) at 3%, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore at 3%, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 2.3%.
Harris was barely on the list, nabbing a measly 0.6% support. There were about 1,000 votes in the Crooked Con straw poll.
The 2024 Dem candidate came in 16th — tied with first-term Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin.
Harris led by double digits in nearly every 2028 Democratic primary poll before the election.
Crooked Con, which is a lefty convention put together by Crooked Media — a group set up by Obama administration alumni — featured discussions from prominent liberal figures about the future of the Democratic Party.
The straw poll shows the 2028 mindset of some of the Democratic party’s most plugged-in voters — even though it’s not a scientific survey.
Ironically, Ossoff was emphatic during his Senate campaign that he doesn’t intend to run for the presidency in 2028.
“Yes, I will,” Ossoff replied during a debate last month when asked if he would commit to serving a full six-year Senate term. “I have zero interest in running for president. I’m running for Senate.”
Ossoff, once seen as the most vulnerable Democratic senator up for reelection in 2026, trounced his GOP foe, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), during his Senate race.
That impressive showing in the once-red state of Georgia, coupled with his sharp oratory skills, turbocharged talk of Ossoff being a formidable 2028 contender for Democrats.
Harris and Newsom had long led most early 2028 polling for Democrats. Harris is still leading with 21.8%, followed by Newsom at 13.5%, and Ossoff in fifth place with 10.8% support in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls for potential 2028 Democrats.
Interestingly, the Georgia Democrat has split with the far-left on key issues, opposing Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ossoff has also opposed expanding the Supreme Court.
