Days before Democrats' historic midterm election victory, a new AtlasIntel poll showed surprising frontrunners for the 2028 presidential primaries.
The poll, released on Nov. 1, showed Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff and Republican Secretary of State Marco Rubio leading hypothetical primaries for their respective parties.
According to the poll, Ossoff held a tight lead of less than a percentage point over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg ranked third, with former Vice President Kamala Harris coming in fourth.
For Republicans, the picture was a bit clearer, with Rubio holding a commanding lead over Vice President JD Vance. The GOP primary could be a two-horse race, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,
Tucker Carlson and President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., all polling under five percentage points.
The AtlasIntel poll surveyed 3,566 respondents from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 with a two percentage point margin of error.
Falling frontrunners
The latest AtlasIntel poll significantly differs from other 2028 primary polls.
In late October, a Harvard/HarrisX poll found Harris and Vance leading their respective primaries, with both holding comfortable leads.
Among Democrats, Harris led California Gov. Gavin Newsom by 14 percentage points. However, in the latest AtlasIntel poll, Harris came in a distant fourth with 12.6%, and Newsom only had 9%.
Also in the Harvard/HarrisX poll, Republicans ranked Vance 19 points ahead of Trump Jr. and Rubio, while in the AtlasIntel survey, the vice president trailed Rubio by 13 points.
Rumbles, but nothing else
As of now, despite the midterms being over, no one has officially declared their intention to run in 2028.
Throughout midterm season, potential 2028 candidates like Vance and Harris, among others, consistently said they were focused on the upcoming midterm elections, without disclosing any presidential ambitions.
Following the midterms, Doug Sosnik, a Democratic strategist, told Reuters that different ideological sides of the Democratic Party will look to claim victory ahead of 2028.
"All kinds of wings of the Democratic Party can find affirmation in the results last night," Sosnik said. "I don't think that anyone can, nor should they, try to contain the differences we have as a party."
Contributing: Reuters
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Surprising potential candidates top new 2028 presidential primary poll
