Vice President JD Vance beat out potential Democrat presidential candidates, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a hypothetical 2028 matchup poll released Friday by Emerson College.
Vance came out on top in three matchups — one against Newsom, a rumored candidate as he tests the waters for a presidential campaign — and against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, who is no stranger to losing a bid for president.
The vice president garnered 45 percent of the hypothetical vote against Newsom’s 42 percent, 44 percent against Ocasio-Cortez’s 41 percent, and 44 percent against Buttigieg’s 43 percent. The remainder of likely voters answered that they were undecided.
The far-left New York congresswoman is also rumored as a top contender for the 2028 Democrat nomination, with election pollster Nate Silver predicting in April that the “Squad” member would be on the ticket.
Shortly after President Donald Trump won the 2024 election, The Hill included her on a list of potential contenders for her party’s nomination.
Buttigieg has also sparked talk that he will make another bid for president after announcing his decision to forego a 2026 Senate run in Michigan, Breitbart News reported.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris was notably missing from the Emerson poll, as she is reportedly considering a run for California governor instead of another run for commander-in-chief.
Vance handily won the 2028 Republican presidential nominee straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in February, receiving an overwhelming majority of votes over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other potential candidates.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
