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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has emerged as the Republicans’ top choice to become the first woman American president, according to a survey.
Noem beat intelligence czar Tulsi Gabbard and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to become the favourite of President Donald Trump’s Maga supporters, as per the survey conducted by JL Partners and reported by The Telegraph.
As Homeland Security Secretary, Noem has overseen Trump’s hardline crackdown on immigrants. Her leadership of the crackdown, coupled with her Mar-a-Lago glamour and made-for-television style of working, has earned her the nickname ‘Ice Barbie’ — a nod to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Overall, however, Vice President JD Vance remains the Republicans’ favourite to succeed Trump in 2029, the survey found.
Among Democrats, the survey found that former Vice President Kamala Harris continues to be the favourite to become the first woman president.
With her execution of Trump’s immigration agenda —central to the far-right platform that won him the 2024 election— and her TV-friendly style, Noem has made a mark with Republicans, according to James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners.
“It is quite a high bar for voters to mention a politician organically, and Kristi Noem appears to have made a mark with Republican voters: the prominence of ICE, the success of the administration on immigration, and her TV-friendly image are all factors,” said Johnson.
Since her first day in office, Noem has grabbed headlines and remained unfazed by criticism — whether over the brutality of federal agencies working under her or the purchase of luxury aeroplanes for her travel using government funds.
In the reality-show-style presidency that Trump has perfected, Noem has donned a leather jacket aboard a C-130 military surveillance plane, paired bright lipstick with Coast Guard fatigues, and posed for photographs in front of half-naked inmates in El Salvador.
But what this means for 2028 is too early to say, according to Johnson.
“JD Vance retains a rock-solid grip on the primary, but it certainly shows that Noem’s brand is flying right now,” Johnson added.
Noem beat intelligence czar Tulsi Gabbard and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to become the favourite of President Donald Trump’s Maga supporters, as per the survey conducted by JL Partners and reported by The Telegraph.
As Homeland Security Secretary, Noem has overseen Trump’s hardline crackdown on immigrants. Her leadership of the crackdown, coupled with her Mar-a-Lago glamour and made-for-television style of working, has earned her the nickname ‘Ice Barbie’ — a nod to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Overall, however, Vice President JD Vance remains the Republicans’ favourite to succeed Trump in 2029, the survey found.
Among Democrats, the survey found that former Vice President Kamala Harris continues to be the favourite to become the first woman president.
‘Kristi Noem has made a mark with Republicans’
With her execution of Trump’s immigration agenda —central to the far-right platform that won him the 2024 election— and her TV-friendly style, Noem has made a mark with Republicans, according to James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners.
“It is quite a high bar for voters to mention a politician organically, and Kristi Noem appears to have made a mark with Republican voters: the prominence of ICE, the success of the administration on immigration, and her TV-friendly image are all factors,” said Johnson.
Since her first day in office, Noem has grabbed headlines and remained unfazed by criticism — whether over the brutality of federal agencies working under her or the purchase of luxury aeroplanes for her travel using government funds.
In the reality-show-style presidency that Trump has perfected, Noem has donned a leather jacket aboard a C-130 military surveillance plane, paired bright lipstick with Coast Guard fatigues, and posed for photographs in front of half-naked inmates in El Salvador.
But what this means for 2028 is too early to say, according to Johnson.
“JD Vance retains a rock-solid grip on the primary, but it certainly shows that Noem’s brand is flying right now,” Johnson added.
