JD Vance continues to hold a commanding position as the early Republican frontrunner for the party’s 2028 presidential nomination.
A new Daily Mail/JL Partners survey finds Vance comfortably ahead of the GOP’s other possible contenders, reinforcing his standing as the figure to beat as Republicans begin to turn their attention toward the next White House contest, which will accelerate soon after the midterm elections.
Among Republican primary voters, Vance draws 48 percent support, a three-point dip, but he still maintains a wide advantage over his nearest competitor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has gained three points to reach 18 percent.
Rubio, however, has publicly stated that he would not run against Vance in a Republican primary.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis follows with 12 percent, also up three points, while Texas Senator Ted Cruz registers at 5 percent, slipping by one point.
The vice president’s strength is even clearer in a hypothetical one-on-one race with Rubio, where Vance leads by a decisive 60 percent to 29 percent margin.
Vance has not officially launched a 2028 presidential campaign, even as speculation intensifies that he could become the Republican Party’s next standard-bearer.
While he has repeatedly indicated that a White House run is under consideration, Vance has so far avoided the formal announcement that many political analysts increasingly view as only a matter of time.
Vance has not formally announced a run for president in 2028, despite growing speculation that he could emerge as the Republican Party’s next front-runner
Vance stands at 48 percent among Republican primary voters, remaining far ahead of his closest rival, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has climbed to 18 percent
In a June 2026 interview on CBS’s ‘Sunday Morning,’ Vance said he and Usha Vance would discuss ‘what comes next for our family’ after the 2026 midterms.
Vance has said he believes President Trump would support whichever path he chooses. But he has not launched a campaign, formed a committee, or taken any official step toward a 2028 bid.
The poll also shows Republicans still want Trump shaping the party’s future. Forty-four percent say he should be ‘very involved’ in choosing the GOP’s 2028 nominee and 31 percent ‘somewhat involved’ – 75 percent wanting some influence. Just 15 percent say none at all.
Trump’s approval stands at 44 percent, down from 47 in mid-June after a peace deal framework was announced.
Americans remain opposed to the original strike: 36 percent support the US military action in Iran, 41 percent oppose it. Even among Trump voters support has softened — 60 percent call the intervention right, down four points, while 21 percent now say it was wrong.
Expectations are bleak. Fifty-eight percent think a deal will take more than a year (26 percent) or aren’t sure (32 percent). Just 5 percent expect one within a month, 18 percent within three. Asked who is to blame for the re-escalation, voters point to Trump (32 percent) over the Iranian government (19 percent).
On the Democratic side, Kamala Harris leads the early 2028 field at 31 percent, up two points. Gavin Newsom is second at 14 percent, down one, followed by Pete Buttigieg at 9 percent, down two.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds 7 percent, up one; Josh Shapiro 5 percent; Jon Ossoff up two to 4 percent.
Vance and his wife welcomed their fourth child, Alec Neel Vance, on Sunday, July 19, at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
His birth marks the first time in 156 years that a sitting vice president has welcomed a child in office.
The last was in 1870, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax, who served under Ulysses S. Grant, and his wife Ellen had a son.
