With the US midterm elections on the horizon in the next few weeks, attention will soon turn to who will replace Donald Trump in the top job in 2028.
With Trump’s approval rating tracking low as Americans are set to head to the polls, some experts think the Democrats could take control of Congress – but does that mean they will be the frontrunners in the presidential race as well?
The 2028 presidential candidate pool is growing, and while it isn’t official who will be running, you know the frontrunners already.
For example, when it comes to the Democratic and Republican primaries, a Focaldata and Financial Times poll has all the answers about who is set to go head-to-head.
Released on Sunday (October 11), it shows some familiar figures from the past and present could be about to try their luck at winning the election.
The likely presidential candidates in the 2028 election
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and current Vice President JD Vance are both at the top of their respective party’s idea of who could run for POTUS, per the poll.
According to the survey, Harris has a 30 percent support, while Vance has a 38 percent support from the Republicans.
From there, there is California Governor Gavin Newsom being favored by 15 percent of Democrats, and then and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg having nine percent of backing.
As for Republicans, behind Vance is Secretary of State Marco Rubio (24%), and with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finishing last (9%).
Betting odds for the next US president
Betting companies also have similar views on who could end up winning the election based on who is leading with voters.
Polymarket published the following predictions on its site for bettors to take note of:
22% to JD Vance
13% to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
10% to Jon Ossoff
9% to Gavin Newsom
8% to Marco Rubio
But when it comes to the winner of the 2028 election, AI doesn’t think any of the Democrats are likely to fare well.
AI predicts 48th US president
AI places its trust in Vance being named the next POTUS and here’s why.
Calling him ‘the single likeliest candidate in these markets,’ AI revealed that this is because of several factors, including his relationship with the current sitting president Donald Trump. With a base of ‘voters who favour stricter immigration policies, economic nationalism, and an “America First” approach’, Vance could ‘inherit much of that support’.
However, the tide could very well change for Vance if things like ‘inflation, housing costs, or unemployment remain major concerns’.
Then, it says Vance could be blamed for the economic struggle just by being associated with Trump and the Republican Party.
Right now, per a Reuters/Ipsos poll which asked Americans whether or not they approve of Trump, only 35 percent said yes.
With Trump’s September approval rating standing with a 35 percent approval and 59 percent disapproval, it’s not looking great for the party.
Per figures released from YouGov’s ‘Direction of the United States’ tracker, 64.6 percent of respondents said the country is ‘off track,’ while 29.4 percent said it is moving in the right direction.
So, it depends on how well Trump does.