CNN spent years claiming Donald Trump would destroy democracy.
Now the network is making a stunning admission about Trump's handpicked successor.
And CNN's data guru just called the 2028 race for JD Vance.
Harry Enten says Vance is achieving something no Republican has done since 1980
The 2028 Presidential election is still more than two years away.
But Vice President JD Vance has already crushed the competition before anyone else even got started.
CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten delivered polling numbers that shocked viewers across America.
"JD Vance is like Mario Andretti, and Marco Rubio and the rest of the field are like going around in go-karts at this point," Enten told CNN anchor Sara Sidner.¹
Prediction markets give Vance a commanding 48% chance of winning the 2028 Republican nomination.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sits in a distant second place at just 12%.
Every other potential candidate polls below 5%.
New Hampshire tells an even more dramatic story.
The first-in-the-nation primary state shows Vance dominating with 51% support.²
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley trails at 9%.
That's a staggering 42-point margin separating Vance from his nearest competitor.
"If you win the GOP primary in New Hampshire, chances are you're going to be the Republican nominee for president," Enten explained.³
Then Enten revealed the number that has political insiders buzzing.
"I saw this 51%, and all of a sudden, there was a buzz going around in my head. I said, 'Boy, this seems really weird. I can't recall anyone being this far ahead at this early stage in New Hampshire,'" Enten stated.⁴
He dug through decades of polling data to confirm his suspicion.
"JD Vance is the only one ever to get a majority of the New Hampshire vote, according to the early primary polls," Enten revealed.⁵
The data goes back to 1980.
Ronald Reagan never reached 51% in early New Hampshire surveys.
Neither did George H.W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, or even Donald Trump.
"At this point, JD Vance is pulling off something historic at this time, and that is the key reason why, at this point, he is the far and away favorite for the Republican nomination," Enten concluded.⁶
Sitting Vice Presidents almost always win their party's nomination
Vance's strength goes beyond polling and prediction markets.
History strongly favors sitting Vice Presidents who seek the Presidency.
Enten reviewed the track record of recent Vice Presidents who ran for the top job.
"All were their party's nominees: Kamala Harris, Al Gore, George H.W. Bush, Hubert Horatio Humphrey, and Richard Nixon back in 1960," Enten said.⁷
That's five-for-five over the past 65 years.
Vance has cited George H.W. Bush as his model for serving as Vice President.
Bush became the last sitting Vice President to win the Presidency when he defeated Michael Dukakis in 1988.
President Trump has already blessed Vance's future presidential ambitions.
Trump named both Vance and Rubio as potential successors during a May 2025 NBC News interview.
Trump has floated the idea of a Vance-Rubio ticket multiple times.
Rubio acknowledged Vance as the frontrunner and pledged to "do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort."⁸
Conservative activists are rallying behind Vance years before primary voting begins.
Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk endorsed Vance at the organization's AmericaFest conference in December.
A straw poll of conference attendees gave Vance 84% support.
Rubio finished second with just 5%.⁹
Turning Point USA is already building campaign infrastructure in Iowa for Vance.
Conservative media star Tucker Carlson described Vance as "the future" of the Republican Party.
"JD Vance is the best I've ever met. He's the combination of intelligence, decency, wisdom, emotional self-control," Carlson said at a Heritage Foundation event.¹⁰
Vance even polls competitively against top Democrats in hypothetical general election matchups.
An Emerson College survey from July 2025 showed Vance leading California Governor Gavin Newsom 46% to 45%.¹¹
Democrats haven't coalesced around a clear 2028 frontrunner.
Republicans have already decided who will lead the party into the post-Trump era.
Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity he plans to wait until after the 2026 midterm elections before announcing his 2028 intentions.
Behind closed doors, Vance is already running.
According to CNN's own numbers guru, nobody else stands a chance.
The 2028 Presidential race won't officially start for another three years.
But CNN just declared JD Vance the winner.
¹ Harry Enten, CNN News Central, CNN, December 29, 2025.
² University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll, October 2025.
³ Enten, CNN News Central.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Eric Bradner, "It's time for Republicans to start thinking about 2028 and the post-Trump era," CNN Politics, December 28, 2025.
⁹ Jonathan Allen, "Vance begins to lock down parts of MAGA coalition for 2028," NBC News, December 23, 2025.
¹⁰ Washington Examiner, "JD Vance is the favorite for the 2028 GOP nomination," June 23, 2025.
¹¹ Emerson College Poll, July 2025.
