It has been less than four months since President Donald Trump assumed office, and some political observers are already focused on who might be the Republican Party's nominee in 2028.

Although there are a number of possible contenders, one recent poll has given Vice President J.D. Vance a clear lead. 

Nearly half of registered voters want Vance as GOP nominee

According to the New York Post, it was carried out by the polling firm J.L. Partners among 975 registered voters between May 13 and May 14.

The survey found that 46% of registered voters would like to see the vice president at the top of his party's ticket in four years' time.

Those results were notable, as no other candidate managed to score in the double digits, with Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis claiming a distant second place at 8%.

Tech entrepreneur and Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came in third place, being backed by 7% of respondents.

Pollster says Vance "can expect to gain further support from voters"

Meanwhile, Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were each tied in fourth place at 6% while former South Carolina Republican governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley came in last at 5%.

Caroline Mulvaney serves as a research manager at JL Partners, and she suggested that the poll's results bode well for the vice president's political future.

Mulvaney told the Post that Vance "can expect to gain further support from voters who are currently supporting individuals unlikely to end up on the 2028 ticket, as well as at least some support from voters who are currently undecided."

However, the Post recalled how Trump refused to single out a possible successor during a March interview with NBC News host Kristin Welker.

"You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who's fantastic," Trump was quoted as telling Welker. "You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party."

Vice president downplays any talk of 2028 aspirations during interview

For his part, the vice president has downplayed any speculation about him mounting a White House campaign of his own in 2028.

Vance discusses Elon Musk's 'mistakes' and 'incremental progress' on the economy in NBC News interviewhttps://t.co/jSR7Y5hcTP

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 15, 2025

"I'm the vice president-elect of the United States," Vance told NBC News in March, adding, "And, you know, if I never go further in politics, I’m totally fine with that."