As he trolls Trump online, Gavin Newsom surges in 2028 poll
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom continues to mock President Donald Trump on social media, more Democratic voters see him as a potential presidential candidate in four years.
A new poll released by Echelon Insights this month shows Newsom as the second-most popular choice for the 2028 presidential nominee among Democratic voters.
A total of 13% of voters said they would pick Newsom, an increase of 3 points from Echelon Insight's July poll . In that survey, 10% of voters said they would vote for the California governor.
In recent months, Newsom has stepped into the role of a foil to Trump, his administration and the Republican Party.
In response to Texas Republicans attempting to redraw their congressional maps before the 2026 election, Newsom has been pushing forward a proposition asking California voters to OK a new congressional map for the Golden State, according to the New York Times.
Throughout August, Newsom's press office has posted messages on X that mimic Trump's posts on Truth Social — writing in all capital letters and bestowing denigrating nicknames onto Republican and right-wing figures.
"DANA "DING DONG" PERINO (NEVER HEARD OF HER UNTIL TODAY!) IS MELTING DOWN BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM! FOX HATES THAT I AM AMERICA'S MOST FAVORITE GOVERNOR ("RATINGS KING") SAVING AMERICA — WHILE TRUMP CAN'T EVEN CONQUER THE "BIG" STAIRS ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE!!! TRUMP HAS "LOST HIS STEP" AND FOX IS LOSING IT BECAUSE WHEN I TYPE, AMERICA NOW WINS!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. — GCN," one post reads.
While Newsom's stock is rising, former Vice President Kamala Harris remains the top choice for president among Democrats, according to the poll.
In all, 26% of Democrats said they would vote for Harris, an unchanged number from Echelon Insights's July poll.
The third-most popular pick is former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, with 11% of voters supporting him. Buttigieg's support remains unchanged from the previous Echelon Insight poll in July.
The fourth-, fifth- and sixth-most popular picks for president among Democrats are Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, respectively.
Among those sampled, 7% said they would vote for Booker, 6% said they would vote for Ocasio-Cortez and 4% said they would vote for Shapiro.
Tied in seventh place with 3% support are Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, businessman Mark Cuban and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
In eighth place with 2% support are Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-CT and Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA.
And in ninth place with 1% support are Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-TX, comedian Jon Stewart, TV personality and sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-GA.
A total of 13% of voters said they were not sure who they would choose, according to the poll.
In all, 522 people out of the 1,057 voters surveyed for this poll were asked the question of who they would pick as the Democratic nominee for 2028.
The poll was conducted online from Aug. 14 to Aug. 18 and has a sample size of plus or minus 3.6%.
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Read the original article on MassLive .
