Former Vice President Kamala Harris suffered an embarrassing showing in a 2028 Democratic straw poll as Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia emerged as the overwhelming favorite among progressive activists at the Crooked Con convention.

Ossoff captured 38% support in the poll, giving him a commanding advantage over every other potential Democratic contender. The result turned the Georgia Democrat into the convention crowd’s new golden boy while Harris nearly vanished from consideration.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York finished second with 17%, while former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg followed with 14%. No other candidate reached double digits in the survey of roughly 1,000 votes.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro each received 4%. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore each secured 3%, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom managed just 2.3%.

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Then came Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024, with a measly 0.6%. She finished in 16th place and tied with Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who is serving her first term.

Bottom of list. https://t.co/MJ6vvmlBoP

— Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) November 8, 2026

The result was a brutal reversal for Harris within this particular activist crowd. Before the election, she had led by double digits in nearly every Democratic primary poll measuring the potential 2028 field.

Crooked Con is a progressive convention organized by Crooked Media, a group established by Obama administration alumni. The event featured discussions with prominent liberal figures about the future of the Democratic Party.

The poll provides a glimpse into the preferences of some highly engaged Democratic voters, although it was not a scientific survey. Still, Harris scraping together 0.6% at a gathering of liberal activists is hardly the sort of comeback launch her supporters would want.

Ossoff’s victory also came with an awkward wrinkle. During his Senate campaign, he firmly said he did not intend to seek the presidency in 2028 and committed himself to serving a full six year Senate term.

“Yes, I will,” Ossoff replied during a debate last month when asked whether he would make that commitment. He then added, “I have zero interest in running for president. I’m running for Senate.”

Ossoff had once been viewed as the most vulnerable Democratic senator facing reelection in 2026. Instead, he trounced Republican opponent Rep. Mike Collins during the Georgia Senate race, delivering an impressive performance in a state that was once reliably Republican.

That victory, combined with Ossoff’s sharp speaking skills, accelerated Democratic chatter about his potential as a formidable presidential candidate. The Crooked Con result added another reason for those activists to keep his name in the conversation, whether he wants it there or not.

The convention poll differs sharply from broader early polling of possible Democratic candidates. Harris and Newsom had long led most preliminary surveys examining the party’s potential 2028 field.

Harris remains in first place with 21.8% in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls covering prospective Democratic candidates. Newsom follows with 13.5%, while Ossoff sits in fifth place with 10.8% support.

Kamala Harris on the 2028 presidential primary:

I will keep you posted. I have not made a decision yet. https://t.co/VrOCq5e46Q — Clash Report (@clashreport) November 7, 2026

Ossoff has also broken with the party’s far left faction on several major policy questions. He opposes Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and demands to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Georgia senator has additionally opposed expanding the Supreme Court. Those positions did not stop the Crooked Con electorate from handing him 38%, more than twice the support received by Ocasio-Cortez.

For Harris, however, the straw poll offered little comfort. A former vice president who remains ahead in the broader polling aggregate landed behind a long list of Democratic figures when progressive activists were given their chance to choose.

Ossoff may insist that he has zero interest in a White House campaign, but Crooked Con voters clearly had other ideas. Harris, meanwhile, discovered that at least among this group of Democrats, yesterday’s nominee can quickly become today’s political afterthought.