Vance Widens Lead in 2028 GOP Presidential Poll

Vice President JD Vance is the leading candidate for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, holding 46% support in a new Emerson College Polling survey—a significant increase from 30% in November. Vance's lead is especially strong among male Republicans and voters over 60, while Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis trail with 12% and 9%, respectively. The GOP field remains crowded, with several candidates polling in single digits and 17% of voters still undecided. Experts note that Vance's prospects are closely linked to the perceived success of Trump's second term and his alignment with Trump's nationalist-populist agenda. President Trump has praised both Vance and Rubio but has not endorsed a specific successor. On the Democratic side, Pete Buttigieg leads early polling, narrowly ahead of Kamala Harris, with Gavin Newsom and Josh Shapiro also in contention.