Harris and Vance Lead Early Polls in the 2028 Presidential Race

Kamala Harris leads Democratic poll

Vance leads Republicans

Polls show differences

The first moves toward the 2028 United States presidential election are already beginning to reveal names with advantages within both parties, although available polls show a scenario that is still changing.

A new McLaughlin & Associates survey places Vice President Kamala Harris as the favorite among Democrats.

Within the Republican Party, Vice President JD Vance appears with a wider advantage over his potential rivals.

However, other recent polls show different results and indicate that the internal race remains open.

Harris and Vance gain ground in new poll

Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ lead narrowed in the latest McLaughlin poll about a potential 2028 Democratic primary. https://t.co/Ozcth2G3AG

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) June 26, 2026

The McLaughlin & Associates poll, released on June 25, places Kamala Harris at the top of Democratic preferences with 26% support.

Behind Harris is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who receives 16% support.

In third place is New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, with 9% of preferences.

On the Republican side, JD Vance leads with 35%, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio registers 15%.

The survey was conducted between June 17 and June 23 among 464 likely voters.

Although the election process is still far away, the study provides an early picture of how the primaries for both parties could begin to take shape.

Trump avoids endorsing a successor for the 2028 Presidential Race

JD Vance, Kamala Harris lead 2028 presidential race: poll https://t.co/StUHbBIJ8E

— USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) June 27, 2026

So far, President Donald Trump has avoided giving a formal endorsement to any potential Republican candidate.

However, during an event held at the White House on May 11, he spoke positively about both JD Vance and Marco Rubio.

“I think it’s an ideal team, but those are minor details. That does not mean they have my endorsement under any circumstances,” Trump stated.

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The president added: “It sounds to me like a presidential candidate and a vice presidential candidate.”

His comments fueled speculation about the future of Republican leadership, although he made clear there is still no official endorsement.

Meanwhile, competition within the Republican Party continues to evolve as new opinion polls emerge.

Other polls show a much more open contest

The McLaughlin results contrast with other surveys published in recent weeks about the political landscape heading into 2028.

An AtlasIntel poll conducted between May 4 and May 7 placed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in first place among Democrats with 26%.

In that same survey, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Gavin Newsom followed in the next positions.

Kamala Harris ranked fourth at the time, with approximately half the support received by Ocasio-Cortez.

Among Republicans, AtlasIntel showed Marco Rubio leading preferences with around 45% of primary voters.

In that study, JD Vance and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ranked behind Rubio.

A different picture emerged from an Emerson College poll released at the end of May.

That survey placed Pete Buttigieg as the Democratic leader with 18%.

Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez followed, while Kamala Harris again ranked fourth.

Harris tied in that measurement with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Within the Republican Party, Emerson showed a much closer competition.

JD Vance received 36% support and narrowly surpassed Marco Rubio by one percentage point.

The differences between the various polls show that the internal race for both parties remains open.

Although Harris and Vance are leading in the latest McLaughlin & Associates survey, other studies show that voter preferences are still shifting as the political landscape develops ahead of the 2028 presidential race.