Vice President JD Vance is holding a commanding lead over potential rivals in the early 2028 Republican presidential primary landscape, according to a newly released Saint Anselm College poll.
Conducted on November 18–19 with a margin of error of ±2.1 percent, the survey of likely Republican voters in New Hampshire shows Vance with 57 percent support — a towering figure that places him miles ahead of the rest of the prospective field.
The poll, shared by WMUR’s Adam Sexton, initially listed Vance at 54 percent, but a correction posted shortly afterward clarified that the vice president’s support actually sits at 57 percent, reinforcing the scale of his lead.
The next closest contenders — Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — trail significantly at nine percent and seven percent, respectively. A second tier of candidates, including Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Tulsi Gabbard, each registered four percent, while Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin rounded out the list at just one percent apiece.
Earlier this month, Politico reported that Rubio is not expected to run if Vance decides to launch a campaign, citing multiple sources close to the secretary of state. According to the report, Rubio is privately indicating he would back Vance fully and may even serve as his running mate.
The sentiment was further solidified by President Donald Trump himself, who said from Air Force One on October 27 that a Vance-Rubio ticket would be “unstoppable.”