It is still early, but political pundits are already jumping on the question of which candidates will emerge as the favorites for the 2028 presidential election. While most Americans are focused on the upcoming midterms three weeks away, it is tempting to start thinking ahead to the big one. With more than two years left until America decides on its next president, two familiar names are leading the pack.

Battle of the Vice Presidents for President?

A new poll released on October 11 proves that voters tend to gravitate toward proven candidates this early in the election cycle. When asked about their choices for the Democratic and Republican primaries, Americans demonstrated a preference for vice presidents.

The Focaldata/Financial Times poll released on Sunday came down to former Vice President Kamala Harris and current Vice President JD Vance. Democrats chose Harris at a clip of 30%, followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom with 15% of the support.  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were tied in third place at 9%. Sen. Jon Ossoff received 8% of the support. The young senator from Georgia burst onto the scene in 2020.

Republicans overwhelmingly chose Vance with 38% support. Secretary of State Marco Rubio came in second place with 24%, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis receiving 9% of the support from Republican respondents. Also receiving support were Donald Trump Jr. at 7% and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., also at7%.

Focaldata surveyed 2,553 adults from October 2 to October 5.

The poll comes at a precarious time for the GOP as they campaign to save their lead in both chambers of Congress. Recent polling shows that the Democrats are likely to take control of the House of Representatives after the November midterms. With three weeks to go, control of the Senate looks like it could still go either way.

Who is Likely to Run for President in 2028?

These early polls are a hypothetical exercise at this point in the election cycle. There have been no candidates to formally declare their intentions to make a run at the Oval Office. Newsom told CNN in September that he would not run in 2028 if Harris decided to throw her hat back in the ring.

However, Harris has also not confirmed whether she would be up for another run. The former vice president stepped in late in the 2024 cycle after former President Joe Biden announced he was suspending his campaign due to health concerns. Harris lost her bid to Donald Trump, sending him back to the White House for another term.

Buttigieg has also signaled that he was interested in running when speaking during a podcast in August. While he did not commit entirely, he said that he was “more inclined than not” to give it a go. Buttigieg also ran for president in 2020, the year that Biden emerged victorious. Buttigieg barely won the pivotal Iowa caucuses and placed second in the popular vote in this bellwether state, becoming the first openly gay candidate to win a primary or caucus. He endorsed Biden after dropping out of the race, going on to serve in the Biden administration as transportation secretary.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen has also formally expressed interest in running for the highest office in the land. During an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" in August, the Democrat from Maryland admitted that he was "kicking the tires" regarding a potential campaign.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Ted Cruz has been no stranger to expressing interest in the office. The Republican from Texas said that "It’s no secret that I want to be president" during an August interview on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast.

Rubio has played his cards closer, saying that "I don't know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time." When visiting Colombia in September in his role as secretary of state, Rubio said, "I'm not a candidate for anything right now. And I’m 100% focused on my job."

The chatter around who is likely to declare their intentions to run will intensify early next year when the new Congress is installed. For example, Ocasio-Cortez recently confirmed that she will make a choice on whether to make a presidential bid after November's election.

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