A ranked-choice voting simulation among voters aged 45 and older has concluded with Pete Buttigieg emerging as the leading candidate. The multi-round elimination process began with Cory Booker, Raphael Warnock, "None of These," Wes Moore, Jon Ossoff, Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro, and Andy Beshear being sequentially eliminated. In the final round, Buttigieg secured between 196 and 215 votes, depending on whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or J.B. Pritzker was eliminated first. The final tally showed Buttigieg with a clear lead over AOC and Pritzker, who tied at 112 votes before the last round. Earlier polling data from June 2025 indicated Buttigieg, Tim Walz, and Gavin Newsom each holding 15% support in the 2028 Democratic primary without Kamala Harris, while a separate poll including Harris showed her leading with 38-45% support and Buttigieg trailing at 11%. The ranked-choice results reflect Buttigieg's strong position among older Democratic voters ahead of the 2028 primary.