Who's Running 2028
Updated July 9, 2026

JD Vance's approval rating

As of the most recent Quinnipiac University national poll, 39% of registered voters approve of the way JD Vance is handling his job as vice president and 54% disapprove (fielded May 14-18, 2026). That is down from 41% approve / 49% disapprove in Quinnipiac's January 8-12, 2026 survey.

A separate CNN poll conducted by SSRS, which surveys all adults rather than registered voters, put his job approval at 37% approve / 62% disapprove in late March 2026. Vance was net negative on job approval in both series through the first half of 2026. He is the sitting vice president and, in early 2028 polling, the Republican primary frontrunner.

National job approval over time

Vance approval rating: Quinnipiac trend

Quinnipiac University, a nonpartisan pollster, has asked registered voters nationwide whether they approve of the way JD Vance is handling his job as vice president. Its 2026 readings are shown below, newest first.

SurveyField datesApproveDisapprove
Quinnipiac University, May 2026
1,106 registered voters, +/- 3.7 pts
May 14-18, 202639%54%
Quinnipiac University, Jan 2026
1,133 registered voters, +/- 3.7 pts
January 8-12, 202641%49%

Source: Quinnipiac University Poll (registered voters). Each number is copied verbatim from the linked Quinnipiac release. In the May survey, 7% did not offer an opinion; in January, 9% did not. Latest data: .

A second national pollster

What CNN/SSRS found

CNN's polling, conducted by SSRS, asked all adults the same job-approval question. It found the same downward direction as Quinnipiac, at a lower level:

SurveyField datesApproveDisapprove
CNN/SSRS, Mar 2026
1,201 adults, +/- 3.2 pts
March 26-30, 202637%62%
CNN/SSRS, Jan 2026
1,209 adults, +/- 3.1 pts
January 9-12, 202641%58%

Source: CNN poll conducted by SSRS, as reported by Newsweek. CNN/SSRS surveys all adults, while Quinnipiac surveys registered voters and offers a "haven't heard enough" option, which is why CNN's disapproval figure runs higher. Both pollsters show Vance net negative and slipping.

How to read this

What Vance's approval rating measures

As the sitting vice president, JD Vance has a national job-approval rating: pollsters ask whether people approve of the way he is handling his job as vice president. It is a current-sentiment number, and it is separate from how he polls in the 2028 Republican presidential primary.

  • Job approval vs. favorability: job approval asks about performance in office; favorability asks whether people view him positively as a person. They are related but not the same, and this page tracks job approval. Favorability trackers such as RealClearPolling's average have also shown him net negative in 2026.
  • Different pollsters, different levels: Quinnipiac (registered voters) had him in the low 40s on approval, while CNN/SSRS (all adults) had him in the high 30s to low 40s with higher disapproval. Differences of this size are normal; both moved down.
  • Why it matters for 2028: a vice president's standing feeds into whether the party rallies behind him, but approval is a job-performance snapshot more than two years out, not a prediction of a national race.

For where Vance stands against the rest of the field, see our 2028 primary polls and prediction-market odds.

The 2028 question

Net-negative approval, but the GOP primary frontrunner

The two things can be true at once. Vance's national job approval was net negative in the first half of 2026, yet he led the 2028 Republican primary field in most polling over the same period. Primary preference measures which Republican rank-and-file voters would pick; job approval measures how the whole country rates his current work. A candidate can trail on one and lead on the other.

See our Republican candidates 2028 hub and Vance's full 2028 profile for the primary picture. Approval numbers on this page are updated when a new national survey is released.

Quick answers

JD Vance approval rating: FAQ

What is JD Vance's approval rating right now?
In the most recent Quinnipiac University national poll, 39% of registered voters approved of the way JD Vance is handling his job as vice president and 54% disapproved (fielded May 14-18, 2026). That is down from 41% approve / 49% disapprove in Quinnipiac's previous national survey (January 8-12, 2026). A separate CNN poll conducted by SSRS, which samples all adults rather than registered voters, put his job approval at 37% approve / 62% disapprove in late March 2026. Both pollsters had Vance net negative on job approval across the first half of 2026.
Is JD Vance's approval rating going up or down?
It edged down over the first half of 2026 in both series. Quinnipiac had him at 41% approve / 49% disapprove in January and 39% approve / 54% disapprove in May. CNN/SSRS had him at 41% approve / 58% disapprove in January and 37% approve / 62% disapprove at the end of March. The two pollsters report different levels because they survey different populations, but both readings moved in the same direction.
Why do Quinnipiac and CNN report different numbers?
They poll different groups and offer different answer choices. Quinnipiac surveyed registered voters and let respondents say they had not heard enough to judge, so 7% to 9% offered no opinion and its disapproval figure sat in the high 40s to low 50s. CNN/SSRS surveyed all adults in a format that leaves almost no one undecided, so its disapproval figure ran higher, in the high 50s to low 60s. Gaps of this size between pollsters are normal; the direction, net negative and slipping, is consistent across both.
How does vice presidential approval usually work?
A vice president's job-approval rating tends to track the president's own standing and is shaped heavily by party: most people who approve of the administration approve of the vice president, and most who disapprove do not. It is a snapshot of current sentiment about the job someone is doing now, not a forecast of a future election. Vance is the sitting vice president and, in early 2028 polling, the Republican primary frontrunner.
Does a low approval rating mean Vance cannot win in 2028?
Not on its own. Job approval this far out mostly reflects the current administration's standing and partisan lines, not a 2028 vote, and it can move a great deal in either direction over more than two years. In fact, Vance leads the 2028 Republican primary field in most polling even while his national job approval is net negative, because primary preference and job approval measure different things. See our 2028 primary polls and prediction-market odds for where he stands in the race itself.
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