Most Accurate Pollster Finds New Lead 2028 Democratic Candidate

Peter Aitken, a Politics Editor at Newsweek in New York, specializes in U.S. politics and has experience in Foreign Affairs, Business, and Technology. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2024, he worked at Fox News Digital and contributed to Business Insider. Aitken has conducted interviews with prominent figures like Benjamin Netanyahu, Gen. David H. Petraeus, British Foreign Ministers James Cleverly and Grant Shapps, and a senior member of the Taliban. He is a native of New York, although he graduated from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. To contact Peter, you can email him at p.aitken@newsweek.com. Language proficiency: English.

According to a recent survey by the American polling firm AtlasIntel, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is leading the race for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. The survey involved 3,469 U.S. adults and was conducted from May 21 to May 27, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Among Democratic respondents, Buttigieg was favored by 31.5%, followed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 19.4% and Kamala Harris at 16.6%.

The survey also revealed that 50.9% of respondents would vote for a Democratic candidate in the upcoming midterm elections, while 41.7% would choose a Republican candidate. Speculation about potential presidential candidates is expected to increase in the coming months, with candidates likely to announce their intentions after the 2026 midterms.