Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro remains a contender in a recurring national poll of Democrats on possible 2028 presidential candidates.
A national Emerson College Polling survey asked likely Democratic voters to choose from six politicians who they would prefer as the party’s nominee and 10% chose Shapiro, with a margin of error of 4.7%.
Shapiro was up 2% in the May poll compared to February.
In a choice between the candidates — Shapiro, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, and Andy Beshear — 18% remained “undecided.”
The two frontrunners across the Emerson polls conducted in August 2025, February and May were former transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, though Newsom’s numbers dropped by 5% and 4% respectively in the two later polls, coming in at 16% in May.
Buttigieg garnered 18% in the May poll, up slightly from 16% in the prior two polls.
Shapiro, meanwhile, is in the bucket of four candidates who got between 9% and 11% of votes in the May poll: U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were the clear frontrunners, with each garnering over a third of likely Republican primary voters in the May poll.
But Vance’s numbers fell significantly — from 52% in the prior polls to 36% in May — while Rubio jumped from 20% in February to 35% in May.
Shapiro is up for reelection as governor in November against Republican Stacy Garrity, the current state treasurer.
