J.D. Vance leads Republican 2028 presidential poll with 35% support

A Big Data Poll conducted from June 26‑28, 2026, of 1,261 registered Republican voters shows Ohio senator J.D. Vance ahead of all potential GOP contenders for the 2028 U.S. presidential nomination, capturing 35.4% of support. The next‑best Republican, former Secretary of State Marco Rubio, trails with 16.5%, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kennedy Jr., and others register single‑digit shares. The survey’s margin of error is 1.8%.

On the Democratic side, former Vice President Kamala Harris leads with 29.1% in a parallel poll, followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other figures such as Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez and Pete Buttigieg. No candidate has formally announced a candidacy. Vance has repeatedly declined to confirm a presidential run, noting his focus on current duties, but says the president would back any decision he makes. Analysts caution that early polls reflect name recognition more than definitive outcomes, with the first GOP primaries still more than two years away.