Enthusiasm among California voters for potential 2028 presidential runs by Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Vice President Kamala Harris has fallen since earlier this year, according to a new poll.
The Politico/UC Berkeley survey found overall excitement about a Newsom presidential campaign dropped from 48% in March to 37% in September, while enthusiasm for Harris fell from 41% to 28%.
The numbers look different among Democrats, however. Sixty-one percent of California Democrats said they would be excited about Newsom running, while 55% said they would not be excited about another Harris campaign.
The survey included 2,418 registered California voters, including 1,983 likely voters. Interviews were conducted online in English and Spanish between Sept. 8 and Sept. 14. The reported margin of error was plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
Neither Newsom nor Harris has announced a 2028 presidential campaign.
Newsom has said he would not run if Harris enters the race, telling CNN, “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”
Harris, meanwhile, was directly asked about another presidential campaign on Sept. 22 and said, “I haven’t decided.” She said her immediate focus is the 2026 midterms, where she has begun campaigning for Democratic candidates in several states.
Reddit Users React to Newsom and Harris Poll
The poll sparked debate on Reddit, where some commenters said they had previously supported both California Democrats but were looking for another option in 2028.
“Voted for both, quickly learned that these two clowns do not support my interests. Will not vote for them again,” one person wrote.
Another argued that Democrats should focus on candidates who could appeal to voters in competitive states. At the same time, a different commenter pushed back against demands for a more dramatic ideological shift, arguing that political change happens incrementally.
The Reddit discussion is not representative of California voters, and the comments should not be treated as an extension of the poll results.
The September numbers show enthusiasm has declined for both California Democrats since March, but they also reveal a notable difference between the two potential candidates. Newsom continues to generate excitement among a majority of California Democrats surveyed, while a majority said they would not be excited about another Harris presidential run.
For now, neither California Democrat has entered the 2028 race. Harris says she has not decided whether she will run again, while Newsom says he would stay out of the race if she becomes a candidate.
