VP Harris, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Gov. Newsom Top Preferred Candidates Poll if Biden Doesn’t Run in ’24

California’s Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Gavin Newsom, come in 1st and 3rd in a the NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll of preferred Democratic candidates to run for President in 2024, released on Thursday. Sen. Bernie Sanders placed 2nd.

The results show that over 57% of voters in the nation disapprove of Joe Biden as president, with over 60% saying that he shouldn’t run in 2024.

When the question of “If President Biden chose not to run for reelection in 2024, who would you most prefer as the Democratic candidate?” was posed, 16% of respondents chose Harris as the candidate they would want to see most. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) came in second with nearly 11%, then Newsom in third with 9%. Other top candidates with over 5% were Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Those who wanted someone else had a 44% total.

As 57% of respondents said that they didn’t want Trump to run again in 2024, the same preference questions was asked of GOP candidates. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis narrowly won out with 23%, beating Former Vice President with 20.5%. No other candidate scored higher than 5%, with former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley receiving 4.8% in a distant third place. Someone else had the most selections, with 38%.

While the election is over two years away and the first primaries a little under a year and a half away, the poll continues to show the growing trend of both Newsom and Harris continuing to be the top Democratic contenders in polls, with other recent polls showing Newsom being the most favored candidate to face a Republican.

Harris, DeSantis ahead in new poll

“A lot of people have been surprised to see Newsom, as well as Harris, polling so well,” Laura Chaffee, an elections analyst in Washington, DC, said in a Globe interview on Friday. “A lot of his negative escapades, like the French laundry masking controversy, were picked up nationally. But he has been getting a lot of attention lately. Him making a stand for abortion has made many Democrats favor him more. And he’s called out GOP rivals in Florida and Texas in a series of ads recently. He’s trying to be this forward thinking candidate who wants to turn the nation around.”

“But Newsom will have a severe uphill battle. His record as Governor isn’t that great. He’s forward thinking on environmental policy for example, but he’s pushing for it so hard that things like energy aren’t keeping up. Homelessness, crime, affordable housing, and more are issues he will fail to answer for too. He and his team need to get these answers ready now, as well as prepare for questions about his past. Dating back to his time as a San Francisco Supervisor he has had a lot of controversies, including America’s favorite campaign ender – affairs. If [former Colorado Senator] Gary Hart couldn’t survive his, there is no way Newsom can talk his way out of his own.”

“Harris also has a lot of issues, with many things that would likely turn off major Democratic support, like her strong police stances. Either way, they both alienate a lot of people, and this is the best the Democrats can come up with. I mean, Sanders is up there again too, but if age is a concern like with Biden and Trump, it’s going to be with him.”

“The GOP is in a better position here. Gavin Newsom’s rival DeSantis continually tops the polls this early on, and there’s a slew of diverse Senators and Governors who are always getting a fair bit of support now too. Critically, they are all on the younger side.”

“California has been seeing more and more people in the executive branch recently, with Harris and many cabinet members being from the Golden state. But when it comes to the presidency in 2024, voters will really need to take a look at what they have done in the state and what they have done TO the state. A lot of it isn’t good.”

More early polls on 2024 presidential candidate preference are expected to be released soon.