Unlikely candidate sees huge surge in race to become US president in 2028

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has gained nine percentage points on the prediction market Polymarket since Thursday, the biggest move among potential 2028 Republican nominees, after Democrats won both the House and Senate in the midterms. He now stands at 13 percent. Some conservatives are blaming President Donald Trump for the losses, pointing to the unpopular Iran war and unresolved cost-of-living worries, and the party is expected to descend into a succession fight, according to The Independent.

Vice President JD Vance remains the clear favorite at 34 percent, though he has not said he will run. He wrote on X that the war is why Republicans lost. Axios reports he privately opposed the conflict and warned Trump it could cost the party the election. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at 17 percent, largely avoided the war's taint and campaigned little, but has said he would not run against Vance.

DeSantis, who is leaving office, called the results a rebuke of Trump and of a Congress marked by low productivity. Tucker Carlson, a vocal war opponent, is at 3 percent, and Donald Trump Jr. is at 2 percent.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →