Democratic Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff is emerging as an early contender for the 2028 presidential race, placing just behind former Vice President Kamala Harris in a new survey of Democratic voters.
The 39-year-old senator, who was playfully labeled a “hottie” online during his reelection campaign this year, was favored by 15 percent of Democratic primary voters in a poll released Friday by The Economist and YouGov.
Ossoff ranked second in the crowded field, behind Harris, who led with 20 percent support.
His strong showing comes despite the fact that most Democratic voters remain unfamiliar with him.
Asked whether they held a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Ossoff, 55 percent said they did not know enough to say.
Eighteen percent viewed him very favorably, while 10 percent expressed a very unfavorable opinion of the Georgia senator, who was first elected in 2021.
Should Ossoff reverse his pledge to serve his full Senate term and pursue the White House in 2028, he would need to raise his national profile quickly.
In mid-October, he firmly rejected the idea, saying: “I have zero interest in running for President.”
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff is only a few points behind 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in a new poll measuring 2028 presidential preferences. The 39-year-old Georgia senator was dubbed a “hottie” during his reelection campaign this year
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 presidential nominee, remains the leading 2028 choice, although half of Democratic voters view her unfavorably
“I’m not running for President. I’m running for reelection to the Senate,” he added.
Still, voters continued to place his name near the top of early 2028 speculation. An Atlas Intel poll conducted October 31 and November 1 showed Ossoff tied for first with Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Ossoff also secured an easy victory over Republican Representative Mike Collins in last week’s Senate election, despite expectations that the contest could be closely fought.
Other prominent Democratic names in the latest 2028 survey included former California Governor Gavin Newsom, with 13 percent; Ocasio-Cortez, with 12 percent; and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with 10 percent.
Buttigieg said this week that he had written a book scheduled for release in January—a move sometimes viewed as an early signal that a politician may be preparing for a presidential campaign.
Among the 14 Democrats included by pollsters—including unlikely possibilities such as 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who is constitutionally ineligible to run—no other candidate reached double-digit support.
Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff speaks at a rally on the eve of Election Day. Once expected to face a difficult reelection battle, he cruised to victory during last week’s Democratic wave
More than half of Democratic voters do not yet recognize Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, but he still ranks second in the 2028 presidential preference survey
Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff told Georgia voters in October that he would not run for president in 2028. Yet he later topped another early poll, tying with AOC
The middle of the field included Arizona Senator Mark Kelly at 4 percent, while Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker each received 3 percent.
Harris recorded the weakest favorability numbers among the Democrats tested.
Overall, 50 percent of Democratic voters viewed her unfavorably. Twelve percent described their opinion as somewhat unfavorable, while 38 percent said they viewed her very unfavorably.
By comparison, 19 percent viewed the former vice president very favorably and another 22 percent held a somewhat favorable opinion of her.
The Economist/YouGov poll surveyed 1,685 US citizens from November 9 through November 11.
The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
