Washington DC - A recent poll found that Democrat Pete Buttigieg and Republican Marco Rubio are leading in their respective parties as potential 2028 presidential candidates.

In a poll released Thursday by Emerson College Polling – surveying 1,000 voters between May 24 to 25 – Buttigieg led Gavin Newsom, with 18% support to the California governor's 16%.

Buttigieg has rapidly gained popularity in the party, as in August 2025, the same poll had him trailing far behind Newsom, who had a lead of 25% to his 16%.

He is now also beating several other notable Democrats, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

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Rubio has also made big strides in the Republican Party. The recent poll found him at 35% – only a point shy of Vice President JD Vance.

Similarly, Vance boasted a commanding lead in August at 52% against Rubio's mere 9%.

Neither politician has confirmed another run for the Oval Office. Last May, Buttigieg said a final decision to run or not was "a long way off," while Rubio has said he won't run if his friend Vance chooses to.

If they do run, both would have to atone for the administrations they worked under and their controversial policies.

Rubio in particular will have to stand by his work with President Donald Trump, whose current approval rating – far off from 2028 – in the ECP survey came out to just 39%.