We’re a long way out from 2028 — we’re not even through the midterms yet — but modern-day political campaigns are never-ending, and already pundits are speculating on who will succeed Donald Trump as president.
On the GOP side, most of the money is on either Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio earning the nomination, with some conservatives dreaming of a joint ticket.
Over on Team Democrat, meanwhile, the field is unclear, mostly because it’s so bad. They seemingly have no Bill Clinton or Barack Obama to jump out of the woodwork and inspire the base. California Gov. Gavin Newsom arguably gets the most press, but his résumé is so shockingly awful that it’s hard to see him getting through the primaries, much less the general. Former VP Kamala Harris? Voters have seen that movie before, and very few are demanding a sequel.
Another name that has been bandied about in the past is Michigan Gov. Gretchen “I will take away your seeds!” Whitmer. Well, you can count her out, because on Thursday she said no can do:
Whitmer has long been viewed by some Democrats as a possible White House contender after her decisive election victories in the closely contested state that Republican Donald Trump has carried twice in presidential votes. For months, however, Whitmer had offered only cautious answers about her political future.
But she delivered her clearest response yet in an interview Thursday with Fox 2 Detroit.
“I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028,” Whitmer said.
“I will not be one of them in 2028…”
— Roop Raj (@rooprajfox2) May 28, 2026
Governor Whitmer on possible presidential run in our one on one from Mackinac. pic.twitter.com/6vjZrJvI0R
And the news doesn’t get any better for Democrats, as a new Emerson College 2028 presidential poll reveals that voters are not excited about any of them. While Rubio and Vance are virtually tied at 36-35 percent, there is no breakthrough Dem.
The California Crew was hardest hit:
Backing for Democratic contenders waned overall, with no candidate receiving more than 20% support in a crowded field that included Gavin Newsom, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Kamala Harris.
While nearly every Democrat saw a slight increase, Newsom and Harris — arguably the more nationally recognized figures — saw declines.
The new poll found Newsom dropped four points from 20% in February, while Harris fell three points from 13%.
Governors Josh Shapiro and Andy Beshear also saw slight increases, rising from 7% to 10% and from 5% to 9%, respectively.
Emerson poll | 5/24-5/25 LV
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) May 28, 2026
2028 US presidential primaries
🟦Democratic
Pete Buttigieg 18% (+2)
Gavin Newsom 16% (-4)
AOC 11% (+2)
Josh Shapiro 10% (+3)
Kamala Harris 10% (-3)
Andy Beshear 9% (+4)
Undecided 18% (-6)
——
🟥Republican
JD Vance 36% (-16)
Marco Rubio 35% (+15)
Ron…
It’s almost shocking how dreadful that Dem field is. Kamala had the fawning mainstream media and a billion-dollar war chest backing her up and still got shellacked. Incredibly, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg leads the Democrats in the poll, but he was terrible at his job and will never live down taking two months of paternity leave while we were experiencing a supply chain crisis and Congress was busy negotiating an infrastructure bill.
Newsom has somehow been able to win over leftists in California time and time again, but he would get shredded in a debate with Vance or Rubio. Remember how he got hammered by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when those two went toe-to-toe?
DeSantis holds up a map to Newsom that people use to know where poop is on the streets of San Francisco and then points out that he cleaned it up for Xi Jinping pic.twitter.com/6Ha5qhZfmA
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) December 1, 2023
FOND MEMORIES: WATCH: The Shocking Moment Ron DeSantis Ended Gavin Newsom
It’s way early, things change, and there’s only one vote that matters. However, for a political junkie, this stuff is ambrosia — especially when things look to be going our way. Quite frankly, it puts a smile on my face to see that, for now at least, the potential Democrat contenders all look incredibly lame. I can’t wait to see Vance, Rubio, or possibly DeSantis expose them on national television.
Now that would be some great entertainment.
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