After Vice President Kamala Harris’s major defeat in the 2024 presidential election, politicians suggested that Democrats should have fielded another candidate against newly elected President Donald Trump.
Now, though, stunning new polls show that every Democrat was likely doomed to defeat — and that Americans think Harris, despite her resounding defeat, may be the best the party has.
YouGov conducted a poll after the election to see how voters felt. It showed that 46 percent voted for Harris, while 48 percent voted for Trump – in line with the results.
But the poll also asked Harris voters if there was another candidate they would have preferred to vote for in a race against the Republican nominee, and that’s where other potential candidates fell short.
President Biden — who was originally the nominee but was forced to drop out of the race in July over concerns about his ability to run, let alone lead, after his disastrous debate against Trump in late June — was at 41 percent against the president -to elect.
Other potential candidates, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, also ultimately followed Trump.
Whitmer received 38 percent and Shapiro 37 percent, although both are currently less known among voters.
Post-election polls showed Vice President Harris had the best chance against newly elected President Donald Trump
And while a lot will happen over the next four years, a new Emerson College poll shows that despite a resounding loss, Harris is still the early favorite when it comes to potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2028, with 37 percent among Democratic primary voters . .
Other big Democratic names are far behind her, not even managing to break the single digits.
California Governor Gavin Newsom came in at just 7 percent, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at 4 percent, and supposed party stars Whitmer and Shapiro each got just 3 percent in the Emerson survey.
With his victory, Trump not only secured the Electoral College votes, but also managed to defeat all seven battleground states.
He also won the popular vote for the first time with a narrow majority, as even blue strongholds across the country saw the shifts further red.
The Democrats’ post-election autopsy will have to include not only who their candidate was, but also their policy platform and how the message was delivered to the American people.
Some Democratic state leaders are already gearing up to fight back against the conservative policy agenda of Trump and Republicans in Congress, as the newly elected president prepares for his January reconquest.
The party will take formal steps to elect a new party leadership to head the Democratic National Committee on February 1.
But when it came to the November elections, Democrats did little good, the surveys show.
The YouGov poll found that Harris fared better against Trump than all other hypothetical Democrats as the nominee across all race, gender and age groups.
A post-election survey of registered voters was conducted from November 6 to 12
And Emerson’s research shows that Trump’s popularity has increased since the election.
He saw a six-point increase from 48 percent to 54 percent. But his preference varies depending on gender, breed and age.
Men are 61 percent in favor of him, while his preference among women is only 48 percent.
But Trump is term-limited, meaning speculation has already started in 2028 for both major political parties.
A clear indication that it will be open season in the run-up to the next presidential election is the number of Democratic voters who are still undecided about 2028 at this stage: 35 percent.
An Emerson College poll shows Harris and Vance as the early favorites to run for president in 2028. Harris led with 37 percent among Democratic primary voters, while Vance led among 30 percent of Republican primary voters. But a significant number of voters, including 35 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of Republicans, are undecided on 2028 at this early stage.
When it comes to the Republican primaries, even more Republican voters, at 51 percent, are unsure about 2028 without Trump in the picture.
Vice President-elect J.D. Vance comes in second with 30 percent and is far and away in the lead among potential candidates at this early stage.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who ran in the 2024 Republican Party primary against Trump, has just 5 percent, while fellow 2024 candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has 3 percent.
Nikki Haley polls only 2 percent, the same as Robert Kennedy Jr., who until recently was a Democrat.