‘Most electable’ Democrat and Republican revealed in 2028 presidential poll
A new poll from Yale University has revealed the top contenders for the 2028 presidential election, and the results may surprise some Americans
by Summer Lane | December 8, 2028
New results from the Fall 2025 Yale Youth Poll have demonstrated that young voters between the ages of 18 and 34 – perhaps the most important voting demographic in America today – see three main candidates as the most likely members of their respective parties to secure the presidential nominations in the 2028 election.
When it comes to electability, “younger and older Republicans” surprisingly selected Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) as the most electable 2028 candidate from the GOP lineup, eclipsing Vice President J.D. Vance at 79 percent to 75 percent.
The same demographic for Democrats found that California Governor Gavin Newsom was the most electable candidate in a field crowded with potential candidates like Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), who ran as the vice presidential hopeful in 2024 alongside then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
While the survey covered a broad range of topics, the 2028 presidential election was a standout. Young Republican voters (18-34) favored Vice President J.D. Vance as their nominee for the presidency, while young Democrat voters preferred Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Importantly, voters under 34 noted that “Cost of living/affordability” was at the top of their list of most important issues (91 percent), while 88 percent chose it as the most important across “all” demographics.
Other issues that were important to young voters were democracy (77 percent), Medicaid and Medicare (56 percent), corruption (63 percent), and housing (70 percent) and jobs (67 percent).
According to Yale’s data, Democrats are leading by 2.5 points on the generic ballot ahead of the 2026 midterms, and younger voters would especially like to see a “major change” and “shock to the system” to shake up the status quo in politics and see results.
Those same younger voters who swung heavily for President Trump in the 2024 presidential election are swinging further away from the Republican base seemingly every day.
Young voters (18-22) “strongly” disapprove of President Trump’s job performance by 50 percent, along with 14 percent who “somewhat” disapprove.
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