LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In what can only be described as a frosty forecast for Michigan’s “Fix the Damn Roads” Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer has found herself buried deep in the slush of a poll out of New Hampshire.

The latest University of New Hampshire Survey Center Granite State Poll offers an early look at the 2028 presidential race, gauging where likely voters in the state of New Hampshire stand in the presidential primary. Among Democrats, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) lead the pack, while Republican Vice President JD Vance holds a strong advantage on his side of the aisle with 51% support.

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The poll gathered responses from 1,547 New Hampshire residents, including 602 likely Democratic and 689 likely Republican primary voters. The survey was conducted online between October 16 and 21, 2025, using the Granite State Panel, a probability-based group of about 8,000 residents recruited through random phone, text, and mail invitations. The poll’s margin of error is ±2.5% overall, ±4.0% for Democrats, and ±3.7% for Republicans.

Whitmer’s 2028 hopes stall out at 1%.

While Michigan transplant Pete Buttigieg zipped into first place among likely Democratic primary voters with 19% of the vote, California’s coiffed governor Gavin Newsom followed at 15%, AOC came in at 14%, and Kamala Harris got 11%, Whitmer barely made the radar – landing in 12th place with a lonely 1%.

For context, that’s also below Bernie Sanders (8%), J.B. Pritzker (6%), and just two points above “other.” Even undecided voters outperformed Whitmer tenfold at 10%.

From spotlight to sidelined.

Not long ago, Whitmer was riding high – floated as Biden’s potential running mate before Harris snagged the spot, and later whispered about as his possible 2024 replacement. Now? The only race she’s winning is “Most Unknown Outside the Great Lakes.”

According to the poll, 35% of respondents said they “don’t know enough” about Whitmer to form an opinion – this despite years of national headlines about her pandemic lockdowns, Biden running-mate rumors, and the infamous kidnap plot drama.

Whitmer may be term-limited in Michigan, but her political future is still open-ended – at least technically. But based on these early numbers, her 2028 presidential aspirations might need a complete resurfacing just like Michigan’s “damn roads.”