With the calendar about to flip to 2026, we’re that much closer to 2028 and its presidential election. And a CNN panel this week looked at the question of who the Democratic contenders might be.
“While there’s been talk about California Governor Gavin Newsom’s rise in popularity thanks to his social media trolling efforts against President Donald Trump and a potential matchup between progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, and Vice President JD Vance, there’s one Democrat some may be overlooking,” Mediaite wrote of the upcoming Democratic contest.
That’s what was discussed on the CNN panel this week, where the name of Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) came up as a potential contender.
CNN’s Dana Bash, on the panel, pointed out that Newsom’s odds had “shot up” recently.
CNN panel identifies 2028 Democratic frontrunners – with a new name added to the mix https://t.co/znb1DXQWhK pic.twitter.com/QtWgCwwA4U
— The Independent (@Independent) December 26, 2025
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“And in fact, he shot up in August when he started the fight for, which he won, for Prop50 to change the [congressional] maps in response to the fact that Texas changed the maps mid-decade. AOC is very far behind him. And [former Vice President] Kamala Harris even behind AOC,” Bash said on the show.
“The other person I might add to that is Raphael Warnock out of Georgia, who is [an] incredibly talented politician, has won in Georgia, just recently gave a speech about spirituality and affordability at the Center for American Progress. So, he is the one I think, to that list of 500 people, I would add him,” Nia Malika Henderson said on the panel.
9⃣ In a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary scenario, California Governor Gavin Newsom is the favorite to win. pic.twitter.com/UMncGPA4Mm
— AtlasIntel (@atlas_intel) December 19, 2025
According to the RealClearPolling average of the 2028 race, Newsom leads with 23.6 percent on average, followed by former Vice President Kamala Harris with 21.4 percent, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg with 11 percent, AOC with 7.7 percent, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker with 4.8 percent, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro with 4.4 percent.
On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance has a huge lead in the RCP average, with an average of 48.8 percent, with Donald Trump, Jr., in second with 11 percent and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in third with 9.3 percent.
But it is, as the usual caveat goes, still early. None of those people is actually running for president yet, nor have the dynamics of the race really come into focus yet.
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
