Buttigieg, Newsom, AOC top three in new 2028 poll in key presidential primary state

Twenty percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they would vote for Buttigieg if the 2028 presidential nomination contest was held today. 

The University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll was released Thursday, a couple of hours before Buttigieg arrived in New Hampshire to campaign with Democrats running in this year's midterm elections.

Asked about the survey by Fox News Digital, Buttigieg noted," I'm not on any ballot right now."

"Obviously, it feels good to be well received," added Buttigieg, who made plenty of friends in the Granite State as he came in a close second in the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, slightly behind Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

As he kicked off a three-day swing in key New England swing state, Buttigieg teamed up with Rep. Chris Pappas, the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat. Shaheen's seat is a top GOP target in the midterms.

Later Thursday, Buttigieg joined the state's other Democratic House member, Rep. Maggie Goodlander. And he was scheduled to hold more events on Friday and Saturday, including a grassroots mobilization event that was expected to draw some top New Hampshire supporters from his 2020 presidential campaign.

Buttigieg is heading next week to battleground Nevada, and a source told Fox News Digital Buttigieg has plans to campaign for candidates in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the weeks ahead.

"I'm a big believer in going everywhere across the media landscape and geographically. Some are well-known places on the political map. Some are a little bit off the beaten path. All of them deserve attention," Buttigieg told Fox News Digital.

He added that he'll "continue to go wherever I think I can be useful in elevating attention to issues and working with candidates I believe in, and Chris Pappas is a great example of a candidate I am proud to be supporting and speaking up for."

Newsom will be next up in New Hampshire.

The California governor's tour for his new book, "Young Man in a Hurry," will bring him to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 5. It will be his first stop in the state in two years.

Newsom grabbed headlines this past weekend as one of a handful of potential Democratic presidential contenders to speak at the high-profile Munich Security Conference in Germany.

The four-term lawmaker appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds before offering that the U.S. should try to avoid clashing with China over Taiwan.

Social media posts on the right slammed her for offering up a world salad.

But it wasn't just Republicans who critiqued Ocasio-Cortez.

A veteran Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital, "It is abundantly clear that AOC is not ready for prime time given her remarks in Europe."