At a major progressive conference, Kamala Harris drew just six votes out of 990 and placed 16th in a 2028 Democratic straw poll, while Sen. Jon Ossoff dominated.
Story Highlights
- Jon Ossoff won the Crooked Con straw poll with about 38% of first-choice votes.
- Kamala Harris received six votes and ranked 16th among potential 2028 Democrats.
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pete Buttigieg finished second and third, respectively.
- The poll drew 990 votes from progressive conference attendees, not a national sample.
Progressive Straw Poll Crowns Ossoff, Sidelines Harris
Crooked Media reported that 990 attendees voted in a 2028 Democratic nominee straw poll at Crooked Con in Washington, with Sen. Jon Ossoff taking 38.4% of first-choice votes. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez placed second with 16.6%, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took 13.9%. The event showcased energy among progressive activists for a younger bench. Those headline figures match independent accounts published the same weekend, which put Ossoff near 38%, Ocasio-Cortez near 17%, and Buttigieg near 14%.
Media coverage highlighted one stark detail for Democrats: Vice President Kamala Harris earned six votes, placing 16th. Mediaite reported her tally and rank, while the New York Post pegged her support near 0.6% and noted a tie at that level. Both reports aligned on the basic outcome. The showing underscored a sharp drop in enthusiasm for Harris among progressive attendees at this event, even as other names drew sizable support from the same crowd.
Event-Specific Poll With Clear Rules And Limits
Crooked Con’s official page said organizers would ask all attendees to pick their preferred 2028 Democratic nominee and release results at day’s end. That matched how the poll was presented and later reported by Crooked Media. This was a straw poll of conference-goers, not a scientific survey of Democratic voters nationwide. The American Association for Public Opinion Research urges caution on results from self-selected samples because they are not representative of a broader population.
CNN’s real-time political coverage confirmed the essential frame. The network reported that Ossoff received 38% of first-choice votes in a poll of 990 participants, with Ocasio-Cortez at 17% and Buttigieg at 14%. The Washington Examiner published nearly identical figures. These outlets treated the vote as a snapshot of progressive activists, not a forecast of a 2028 primary. Their reports anchored the numbers while noting the informal setting and the conference crowd behind them.
Who Showed Strength And Why It Matters Now
Ossoff’s first-place finish signaled that many progressive activists want a younger standard-bearer with a national profile. Ocasio-Cortez’s second-place finish showed continued pull with the activist left. Buttigieg’s third-place finish suggested staying power after a high-profile cabinet role. Crooked Media’s tally put Governors and Senators such as J.B. Pritzker and others in single digits, showing a top tier of three in that room and an open lane for several others in the next tier.
For conservatives, the picture is clear. The progressive base is drifting from figures tied to the party’s recent record on inflation, border chaos, and energy policy. Harris’s poor result among her own side’s activists reflects that fatigue. It also hints at coming fights inside the Democratic Party over crime, spending, and cultural issues. Those fights will shape how Democrats oppose President Trump’s policies on border security, energy production, parental rights, and constitutional freedoms in the next two years.
How To Read A Straw Poll Without Overreading It
Straw polls capture the mood of a room. They do not capture a country. The Crooked Con vote shows the preferences of people who chose to attend a progressive conference and chose to vote. That is useful for gauging activist energy and messaging tests. It is not a national measurement. Journalists and readers should remember that self-selected samples cannot stand in for a representative survey without rigorous design and disclosure.
Bottom Line For 2028 Watchers
Based on the reported totals, Jon Ossoff walked away with a clear win in a 990-vote progressive straw poll. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pete Buttigieg placed behind him, while Kamala Harris landed far down the list with six votes and a 16th-place rank. The result is a signal about the progressive base today, not a map of the 2028 primary. Still, it tells us where the activist energy leans as Democrats search for a new standard-bearer.
Sources:
mediaite.com, nypost.com, pod.wave.co
