I’m admittedly a newshound, but there’s one name I haven’t been seeing much in the press lately: former Transportation Secretary under Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg. I was therefore somewhat taken aback to read that he’s leading the polls for Democrat presidential nominee in the state that traditionally holds the first primary, New Hampshire.
California’s failed governor Gavin Newsom and the policy illiterate New York socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are tied for second. Kamala Harris, who flamed out as the Democrat nominee in November ’24, is hardest hit. She’s tied for third with a member of the Seditious Six, the holier-than-thou Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ).
I’ve been to New Hampshire, and it’s beautiful, but people, what’s going on over there?
New Granite State Poll: Vance Leads 2028 NH GOP Primary; Buttigieg, AOC, and Newsom Top Democratic Field pic.twitter.com/23sX6QAWID
— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) February 19, 2026
It’s unclear why Mayor Pete would be held in such regard since his run as South Bend, Indiana, mayor and then Biden’s transportation secretary were marred by charges of incompetence and a weird focus on woke social justice rather than, you know, transportation. Remember, he thinks roads can be racist.
That being said, Buttigieg is making some of the moves that candidates customarily do before announcing a campaign, like showing up in the Granite State:
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.
Pete Buttigieg and Chris Pappas just swung through the dining room of the Puritan Backroom restaurant (which the Pappas family owns), as Buttigieg promoted the Pappas campaign for US Senate. Some guests knew the two were coming; others didn’t. pic.twitter.com/Dey7oXrnbj
— Steven Porter (@reporterporter) February 19, 2026
The problem for Pete is similar to what Gavin Newsom faces: his record sucks. Even the liberal outlet Axios is aware of the problem:
They [critics] argue that Buttigieg was at times unable to navigate the federal bureaucracy to get hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure projects built or launched quickly enough, and that such failures contributed to Donald Trump returning to the White House.
Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, Ind., has little other governing experience to run on, so his tenure as transportation secretary would be critical to convincing voters he’s up to being president, were he to run again.
2028 Is Coming: Buttigieg Flails Trying to Explain Why Only 8 EV Charging Stations Have Been Built by Biden Admin
The Underwhelming 2028 Democrat Presidential Field, A Second Look
He has one issue that will really haunt him, however: the fact that he went on paternity leave in 2021 while the nation was experiencing a supply chain crisis. I’m a family guy myself, and am fully aware of the challenges of raising children while succeeding at your job, but the image of Pete lounging at home with his spouse and their twins while the country was facing an emergency left many deeply unimpressed.
As our Andrew Malcolm wrote, the Democrat presidential field is certainly looking “underwhelming.” With a failed governor, a losing presidential candidate, and a mediocre former transportation secretary leading the early polls, you’d think conservatives would be celebrating.
I mostly am, but I remind myself daily that somehow a candidate as hapless, uninspiring, and divisive as Joe Biden was our president just a little over a year ago.
We can’t get complacent just yet.
Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject its globalist agenda.
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