A CNN-SSRS poll conducted December 4–7, 2025, across the United States finds that about half of American adults have already started thinking about the 2028 presidential election. The survey shows that 22% said they have thought about the election ‘a lot’ and 28% said they had considered it ‘some,’ while most respondents did not name a single favorite candidate.
When respondents named potential candidates, Republicans were more likely to be mentioned in single-digit percentages: JD Vance led Republicans with 11%, Marco Rubio at 2%, Ron DeSantis at 1%, and Donald Trump at 1%.
On the Democratic side, Gavin Newsom was mentioned by 6%, Kamala Harris by 3%, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by 2%, Pete Buttigieg by 1%, and Barack Obama by 1%. It is noted that Trump cannot run in 2028 due to the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a president from serving more than two terms.
Among those who named issues for the next president, affordability and cost-of-living were mentioned most often (6%), followed by a stated preference for an ‘America First’ governance outlook (3%). Healthcare, foreign policy, and federal spending were each noted by about 2% of respondents.
Overall, the poll depicts a broad, unsettled field three years before Election Day, with voters weighing a mix of potential candidates from both parties rather than rallying around a single favorite.
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