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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has surged into the lead in new polling on a potential 2028 Democratic presidential primary field.According to the most recent poll by Emerson College Polling, released May 28, 18% of Democratic voters said they would back Buttigieg’s presidential bid, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, coming in second and third, respectively.On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance narrowly leads the field of potential candidates with 36% of primary voters, only one point ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. It marks a significant climb of 15 percentage points for Rubio since Emerson's previous poll of the potential Republican field in February, as Vance's support as the top choice has fallen by 16 percentage points over the same period.According to the same poll, 15% of Republican primary voters remain undecided, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley polled at 5%. The Emerson College poll was conducted between May 24 and May 25, with 1,000 respondents and a margin of error of ± 3%.Is Pete Buttigieg running for president?Although he leads the field of potential Democratic candidates in 2028, Buttigieg has been unclear on whether he is running for president. But during remarks at the National Action Network conference in April, Buttigieg hinted at a 2028 presidential run being a real possibility.“When you ran for president, you met me and we went up to a well-publicized lunch at Sylvia’s Restaurant in Harlem. Just so my calendar is clear. Should I be reserving a table at Sylvia’s? Are you going to run again?” the Rev. Al Sharpton asked Buttigieg, according to The Hill.“You save me a seat, I’ll be there,” Buttigieg responded, but did not elaborate further.Is JD Vance running for president?As of now, Vance has not formally announced his intentions to run for president in 2028.President Donald Trump has also refused to choose between Rubio and Vance to be his successor in 2028. During a White House event on May 11, Trump said the pair would make a “perfect ticket” for a run in the next presidential election."I do believe that's a dream team, but these are minor details. That does not mean you have my endorsement under any circumstances," Trump said. "I think it sounds like presidential candidate and vice presidential candidate."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_.
