Four Names Lead Early 2028 Race to Succeed Trump

Long before the 2028 race for the White House officially begins, the field of potential successors to Donald Trump is taking shape. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll identifies four names already standing out among voters in both parties: Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Republican side, and Senator Jon Ossoff and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg among Democrats.

Among Republicans, Rubio holds a narrow edge over Vance: 45% of party voters surveyed consider him an excellent potential presidential candidate, compared to 43% who say the same of the vice president. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also draws support from 32% of Republicans.

The tight margin between the two top contenders may reflect an internal debate within the party: whether to continue Trump's approach or seek a candidate who offers a slightly different direction. The war with Iran, which has driven up fuel prices, has generated some dissatisfaction among segments of Trump's base. Vance has already hinted at some distance from the president, publicly linking the Republican loss in the midterm elections to the war.

Marco Rubio leads in Republican polling (Photo: Reuters)

Rubio, in contrast, enjoys a relatively moderate image. One Republican voter quoted in the poll, Barbara Rezner of Florida, said she prefers him over Vance, whom she views as too far right and too close to Trump. According to her, Rubio has managed to perform his role without getting entangled in unnecessary political confrontations.

Trump himself is already engaged with the question of succession. According to the report, the president has asked associates whom they prefer, Vance or Rubio, though in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" he made clear he would not necessarily endorse either in the Republican primaries.

On the Democratic side, the two standout names in the poll are Jon Ossoff and Pete Buttigieg, each drawing 29% of Democratic voters who describe them as excellent candidates. Ossoff, who won re-election to the Senate in Georgia by an 18-point margin, has built a public profile through particularly sharp attacks on Trump, whom he has called corrupt and unfit for office.

Democrat Pete Buttigieg (Photo: Shutterstock)

Buttigieg, the former transportation secretary who ran in the 2020 Democratic primaries, is better known to the American public. Still, about 20% of Democrats surveyed do not recognize him at all, while unfamiliarity with Ossoff reaches roughly one-third.

Both are considered relatively moderate candidates within the party, a trait that could prove advantageous after Democrats posted significant gains in the midterm elections. By contrast, candidates associated with the progressive wing, such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, draw lower support: only 15% of Democrats described her as an excellent candidate. Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom each received 23%.

The poll surveyed 1,705 American adults, including approximately 500 registered voters from each party, and was completed on Monday. The margin of error among Republicans and Democrats is about five percentage points.

Reuters emphasizes, however, that this is an extremely early stage of the race, with none of the mentioned candidates having declared a run. Neither party has formed a clear picture, and over the next two years new names may emerge and completely shift the balance of power.