Who's Running 2028
Updated July 14, 2026

2028 presidential candidates approval ratings

Verified, dated polling data for the leading 2028 presidential contenders -- covering job approval for sitting governors and the Vice President, and national favorability for out-of-office figures. Every figure on each page is sourced to a named pollster and copied verbatim from their published release.

Quick note

Job approval vs. favorability

Sitting officeholders (governors, senators, the VP) are measured by job approval -- whether residents or the public approves of their performance in that specific role. Out-of-office figures (former VP Harris, former Secretary Buttigieg) and House members (Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, who holds no executive office) are measured by national favorability. The two scales are not directly comparable. Each candidate page below labels which measure it uses.

Democrats

Democratic contenders: approval and favorability

Gavin Newsom
Governor of California

Tracked by: job approval

Josh Shapiro
Governor of Pennsylvania

Tracked by: job approval

Andy Beshear
Governor of Kentucky

Tracked by: job approval

Wes Moore
Governor of Maryland

Tracked by: job approval

Gretchen Whitmer
Governor of Michigan

Tracked by: job approval

Kamala Harris
Former Vice President

Tracked by: favorability

Pete Buttigieg
Former U.S. Transportation Secretary

Tracked by: favorability

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
U.S. Representative (NY-14)

Tracked by: favorability

Republicans

Republican contenders: approval and favorability

JD Vance
Vice President of the United States

Tracked by: job approval

Ron DeSantis
Governor of Florida

Tracked by: job approval

Greg Abbott
Governor of Texas

Tracked by: job approval

How we verify approval figures

  • Every number is copied verbatim from the pollster's own published release -- never estimated, interpolated, or rounded differently than the source.
  • Each figure is independently double-verified against a second source before it is published (either a second fetch of the same release or a separate independent report that cites the same survey).
  • We do not mix pollsters in a single trend table. Where multiple pollsters are available, each is shown separately with its own label and dates.
  • If a clean, double-verifiable series does not exist for a candidate, no approval page is built -- rather than publish a number we cannot verify.
Quick answers

Approval ratings FAQ

What is a job approval rating?
A job approval rating is the share of respondents who say they approve of how a specific officeholder is doing their job. Pollsters typically ask 'Do you approve or disapprove of the job [name] is doing as [title]?' Job approval is measured for officials who hold an office -- a governor, a senator, the Vice President, or the President. It is not the same as favorability.
What is the difference between job approval and favorability?
Job approval asks whether you approve of someone's performance in a specific role. Favorability asks whether you view a person positively or negatively, regardless of any current office. Job approval applies to sitting officeholders. Former officials and candidates who hold no office are typically measured by favorability instead, since there is no current job to evaluate.
Why are some 2028 contenders tracked by favorability instead of approval?
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are measured by national favorability polling because either they hold no executive office (Harris, Buttigieg) or because individual House members do not receive standalone national job-approval polls (AOC). Their favorability numbers reflect how the general public views them as people and potential candidates, not how they are performing in a current role.
Do approval ratings predict who will win a presidential election?
Not reliably, especially this far in advance. Approval ratings and favorability numbers are indicators of current public standing, not vote-share predictions. A popular governor in their own state may poll very differently in a national primary or general election. Approval ratings also reflect a candidate's current role and local context, which changes once the campaign moves to a national stage.
How often are these approval-rating pages updated?
Each candidate's dedicated page is updated when a new dated, verified survey is published by a named pollster. Every figure on the individual pages is copied verbatim from the pollster's own release and independently verified before it is published. The hub page (this page) is updated to reflect new individual pages as they are added.

See also: Full 2028 candidate list · 2028 primary polls · Prediction-market odds · Democratic contenders · Republican contenders

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