Potential 2028 frontrunners rise to top of new primary poll - USA Today
With the midterm elections only days away, murmurs around the 2028 presidential race are picking up steam with two potential frontrunners for the White House rising to the top of a new Harvard/HarrisX poll.
The poll, released Tuesday, Oct. 27, shows two well-known names, former Vice President Kamala Harris and current Vice President JD Vance, leading the hypothetical primaries for their respective parties.
According to the latest survey, Harris held a comfortable lead with 34% of Democrats with California Gov. Gavin Newsom following in second with 20%. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came in third with 11%, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came in a very close fourth with 10% of support.
Across the aisle, Vance also held a large lead with 40% support among Republicans. Tied for second were President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both at 21%.
The Harvard/HarrisX poll surveyed 2,700 registered voters from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26 with a margin of error of 1.9 percentage points.
This week's new Harvard/HarrisX poll saw some candidates lose a couple of percentage points in support compared to last month's edition of the survey.
In late September, Harris led with 38% support, four points above her 34% in October. Meanwhile, Newsom gained 3 percentage points, rising from 17% to 20%.
Ocasio-Cortez, who saw 12% support in September, dropped 1 point to 11%. Buttigieg also dropped 1 percentage point to 10%.
On the Republican side, Vance rose 1 point to 40% in October, with Trump Jr. dropping from 24% to 21%. Rubio was the biggest winner of the month, rising 4 points to 21%.
Throughout midterm season, potential 2028 candidates like Vance and Harris, among others, have consistently said they are focused on the upcoming midterm elections, without disclosing any presidential ambitions.
But others have signaled their intentions ahead of 2028.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said he was “kicking the tires” at a potential run in 2028 in an appearance on NBC’s"Meet the Press" in August. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also fueled speculation about another 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.
Others like Rubio have tried to temper expectations.
"I don't know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time," Rubio said during an official visit to Colombia in September. "I'm not a candidate for anything right now. And I’m 100% focused on my job."
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_.
