With Donald Trump constitutionally precluded from running for a third term four years from now, speculation has already begun swirling about who will run to succeed him in 2028.
Vice President-elect JD Vance is currently the favorite to become the 48th president, with a 25% chance (+300 odds), according to SportsBettingDime.
As the vice president, Vance will be the next in line to take over if Trump is unable or unwilling to continue serving.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks outside after voting at the St Anthony of Padua Maronite Catholic Church on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Cincinnati, Ohio. APSince 1933, only five vice presidents have been successfully elected to serve as commander-in-chief.
Vance, 40, is followed on the odds list by former first lady Michelle Obama (+500), California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom (+550), Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (+800) and former Democrat congresswoman-turned-Republican activist Tulsi Gabbard (+1000) and right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson (+1400).
Vice President Kamala Harris (+2500) is tied with Oprah Winfrey and just edged out Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro (+3300), whom Harris passed over as her running mate, despite Democratic operatives who believed he could have helped Democrats lock down the Keystone State.
Other big names on the list include former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (+1400), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (+2500), Donald Trump Jr. (+4000), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (+5000) and pro wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (+6600).
Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at a rally for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaign in Norristown, Pa Montogomery County. The Democrats/YouTube
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference at Raleigh Studios unveiling a vast expansion of California’s Film and Television Credit Program on October 27, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event in Salix, Iowa. APTech guru Elon Musk also made the list (+5000) despite being constitutionally ineligible for the presidency because he was born in South Africa, as did Ivanka Trump (+5000), Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (+5000), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (+5000) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (+6600).
Most of the names listed have been subject to some presidential speculation in the past.
Obama in particular has long been a darling of the left and remains one of the most popular Democrats in the country at the national level.
Former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard attends a campaign rally of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 4, 2024. REUTERS
Tucker Carlson hosts his Tucker Carlson Live Tour finale at Desert Diamond Arena on Oct. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona. Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesAllies of the former first lady claim that she loathes the campaign trail, despite her willingness to stump for Democrats since her husband Barack left office in 2017.
Newsom’s name had been tossed around as a potential alternative to President Biden, but the California governor remained loyal to the 81-year-old despite consternation about his mental acuity. He is term-limited as governor and can’t run for reelection in 2026.
DeSantis is similarly term-limited and ineligible for reelection in 2026. But the Sunshine State governor went in a different direction from Newsom and unsuccessfully challenged his party’s de facto leader for the presidency.
During her concession speech Wednesday, Harris stressed that she was not done fighting. If she were to vie again for the presidency, she would almost certainly face stiff Democratic primary competition that she avoided in the 2024 cycle.
“On the campaign, I would often say, ‘When we fight, we win.’ But here’s the thing: Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” Harris said in her address at Howard University.
The 2028 race could be the first presidential contest since 1976 without an Obama, Bush, Clinton or Trump on either ticket.
