With President Donald Trump‘s second term nearly halfway done, the search is on for the next candidate to take over the White House in 2028, as new polling released this week shows frontrunners for both Democrats and Republicans.
In a new HarvardCAPS/HarrisX poll released Wednesday, Sept. 30, a vice presidential showdown may be in the cards for 2028, as former Vice President Kamala Harris and Vice President JD Vance lead early primary polling.
Among Democrats, Harris leads with 38% of primary voters, down four points from the same poll earlier this month. California Gov. Gavin Newsom came in second with 17%, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gathering 12%, a three-percentage-point improvement.
On the Republican side, Vance leads with 39%, down five percentage points. In second is Donald Trump Jr. with 24% of GOP primary voters, a six-point improvement. That change put the president’s son above Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who gathered 17%.
Wednesday’s poll is just the most recent survey showing both vice presidents as the most popular choices to lead their parties in 2028. A poll released Thursday, Sept. 24, by McLaughlin & Associates also indicated a showdown between Vance and Harris could be in the cards.
The HarvardCAPS/HarrisX poll surveyed 2,200 registered voters from Sept. 26-28, with a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points.
So, who’s running?
As of Sept. 30, no one yet, but potential 2028 candidates have given signs.
Earlier this month, Newsom told CNN that he would not run in 2028 if Harris decided to campaign for president a second time.
On Steven Bartlett’s “The Diary of a CEO” podcast in August, former Transportation Secretary Buttigieg said he is “more inclined than not” to make another White House bid. He emphasized that his decision will depend on factors that won’t become clear for some time.
For the GOP, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has fueled speculation about another potential White House bid.
“It’s no secret that I want to be president,” Cruz said in August on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast.
Rubio, on the other hand, has quieted speculation, although he did not completely rule out a campaign.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time,” Rubio said during an official visit to Colombia. “I’m not a candidate for anything right now. And I’m 100% focused on my job, and I have to be because I have two jobs.”
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New 2028 primary poll continues to hint at vice presidential showdown
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