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By Jordan King
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris leads former first lady Michelle Obama and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez among young Democrats in a hypothetical 2028 presidential field, according to a new poll.
Harris was selected by 28.7 percent of Democratic respondents ages 18 to 34, nearly twice the 14.9 percent who chose Obama.
Ocasio-Cortez, the progressive New York Democrat widely known as AOC, placed third with 11.7 percent in the recent Axios-Generation Lab poll, carried out among 1,075 American adults aged 18-34, between July 29 and August 4.
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None of the three women have announced a 2028 campaign.
Young independents favored Obama, who received 11.4 percent, followed by AOC with 9.2 percent and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders with 7.4 percent. Among young Republicans, Vice President JD Vance held a more commanding lead, receiving 31.5 percent. Donald Trump Jr. followed with 10.7 percent, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio received 9.7 percent.
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The findings came amid broad dissatisfaction among younger Americans: 66 percent disapproved of President Donald Trump’s job performance, while 96 percent expressed concern about the cost of rent, groceries, gas or utilities.
Generation Lab CEO Cyrus Beschloss characterized the broader mood as “thumbs-down on everything,” saying young people were dissatisfied with the president, the economy and both political parties.
Of those surveyed, 37 percent identified as Democrats, 26 percent as Republicans and 29 percent as independents. The poll had an overall margin of error of +/- 3.01 percentage points.
What the Poll Shows About Harris, Obama and AOC
Harris’ 28.7 percent support was greater than the combined backing for Obama and Ocasio-Cortez, who received 26.6 percent between them. However, the former vice president did not command a majority, underscoring how unsettled the prospective Democratic field remains at this early stage.
Of the three, Harris is the only one to have run for president or held elected office nationwide. She replaced former President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024 before losing the election to Trump. Harris later ruled out a campaign for California governor in 2026, a decision that left open the possibility of another White House bid.
Obama’s second-place showing is notable because she has never held elected office and has repeatedly rejected suggestions that she could run for president. During a 2018 appearance with students in New York, Obama said that politics had never been her chosen path and that she did not want to be president.
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The former first lady also performed better among independents than she did among Democrats relative to the other prospective candidates. Obama led the independent field with 11.4 percent, while AOC placed second with 9.2 percent. The result indicates that Obama’s appeal in the survey extended beyond Democratic identifiers, although her support remained in the low double digits.
AOC, meanwhile, has built a national profile as one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent progressives since first winning election to Congress in 2018. Her policy agenda has included proposals addressing climate change, housing costs and economic inequality; in August, she and Sanders reintroduced legislation intended to renovate public housing and create union jobs.
Despite her prominence among younger progressives, AOC trailed Harris by 17 percentage points among young Democrats and finished 3.2 points behind Obama.
Trump and Republicans Struggle With Young Americans
The poll also found widespread opposition to Trump among young Americans. Sixty-six percent disapproved of his job performance, including 54 percent who strongly disapproved, while 34 percent approved.
Republicans also trailed Democrats when respondents were asked which party they trusted more to reduce the cost of living. Some 32 percent percent chose Republicans, compared with 26 percent who selected Democrats. The largest group, 36 percent, trusted neither party—giving “neither” a 14-point advantage over the GOP.
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That result is particularly significant given the scale of respondents’ economic concerns. Although nearly all of those surveyed expressed some concern about the cost of essentials, fewer than one-quarter trusted the president’s party to bring those expenses down. The findings point to dissatisfaction with both major parties rather than a decisive shift toward Democrats.
Polls have been known to underestimate Trump's popularity, with the president outperforming pre-election expectations in three presidential campaigns.
Newsweek contacted the White House via email on Saturday for comment.
In June, when the White House responded to Trump's approval rating hitting an all-time low with Big Data Poll, which has previously showed some of Trump's highest approval ratings, spokesperson Davis Ingle told Newsweek the 2024 election was "the ultimate poll."
"No other President in history has accomplished more for the American people than President Trump, who is working tirelessly to create jobs, cool inflation, increase housing affordability, and more," Ingle said.
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