Emerson College poll analyzes hypothetical 2028 presidential matchups

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An Emerson College poll released Thursday examined hypothetical 2028 presidential matchups between prominent Republicans and Democrats. The survey of 1,000 registered voters suggests that Secretary of State Marco Rubio performs better in several head-to-head contests against Democratic candidates than Vice President JD Vance.

In matchups against Kamala Harris and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rubio leads both by 48% to 43%. Vance holds a narrow 46% to 44% lead over Ocasio-Cortez but trails Harris by 4 percentage points. When pitted against California Governor Gavin Newsom, both Republicans trail the governor, who holds 49% support against Vance and 48% against Rubio.

Among the Democratic contenders, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emerged as the strongest performer, leading both Rubio and Vance by a 5-point margin (49% to 44%). Senator Jon Ossoff also showed strength, holding a 3-point edge over Rubio and a 5-point advantage over Vance. The poll carries a margin of error of 3 percentage points.