Massachusetts Poll Shows Pete Buttigieg Leading 2028 Field

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg received a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University in nearby Cambridge. Perhaps that's why Massachusetts Democrats seem to favor him for president in a recent "what if" poll conducted by Suffolk University/Boston Globe.

Pollsters asked, "Looking ahead to 2028, which potential Democratic candidate excites you most?"

The response was not even close.

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Buttigieg Leads Early 2028 Poll in Massachusetts

Buttigieg captured 23.4 percent of the vote, with California Governor Gavin Newsom finishing second with 17.4 percent. U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was third with 14 percent.

Buttigieg’s Past Performance in Massachusetts

Buttigieg finished fifth in the 2020 Massachusetts Democratic presidential primary with 37,172 votes (2.7 percent), behind winner Joe Biden with 470,294 votes (33.6 percent), Sen. Bernie Sanders with 373,173 votes (26.7 percent), Sen. Elizabeth Warren with 299,733 votes (21.4 percent), and Michael Bloomberg with 164,689 votes (11.8 percent).

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, likely Minnesota's next governor, finished in sixth place with 16,862 votes (1.2 percent).

Pete Buttigieg's History

Ballotpedia.com says Peter Paul Montgomery "Pete" Buttigieg was born on January 19, 1982, in South Bend, Indiana. He served as the Mayor of South Bend from 2011 to 2020.

According to Ballotpedia.com, "In 2015, during his re-election campaign, Buttigieg came out as gay in a column in a local newspaper," adding that Buttigieg was "re-elected Mayor in 2015 with 80 percent of the vote."

A lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve, Buttigieg served a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Other Potential 2028 Democratic Contenders

Other potential Democratic candidates for the 2028 presidential nomination mentioned by respondents to the poll include Governors JB Pritzker and Josh Shapiro, with 7.4 percent each. Kamala Harris with seven percent, Andy Beshear with 4.4 percent, Gretchen Whitmer with 3.4 percent, and Rahm Emanuel with three percent.

Ten percent of poll respondents were undecided, while 1.2 percent chose "other" and 0.80 percent refused to answer the question.

A Wide-Open Race Expected in 2028

While no Democrat has formally announced his or her candidacy, many have been traveling the country delivering stump speeches. Experts believe it will be a crowded field in 2028 since there will be no incumbent on the ballot.