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Oddsmakers call JD Vance and Gavin Newsom the 2028 frontrunners - but Aaron Rodgers and The Rock make the list

While a list of usual suspects crowds the top, oddsmakers also included some creative predictions for who will become president in four years

Kelly Rissman
Friday 08 November 2024 04:45
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JD Vance (left) and Gavin Newsom. Oddsmakers are already predicting JD Vance and Gavin Newsom to be the 2028 frontrunners.
JD Vance (left) and Gavin Newsom. Oddsmakers are already predicting JD Vance and Gavin Newsom to be the 2028 frontrunners. (AP)

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The 2024 election may have just ended, but oddsmakers are already predicting who will win in 2028 — and at least one of them seems like a Hail Mary.

New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and actor-slash-wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are among the favorites to clinch the presidency in 2028, according to Bookies.com.

Donald Trump will return to the White House after a decisive victory over Kamala Harris this week, but will be unable to run again in four years, since he is entering his second and final term.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Vice President-elect JD Vance holds the top slot, with +450 odds. The figures closer to zero signals the betting favorite, while higher figures indicate underdogs — with a bigger payout on the line.

Senator JD Vance is the top pick for president in 2028, according to oddsmakers
Senator JD Vance is the top pick for president in 2028, according to oddsmakers (AP)

He is trailed by a list of usual suspects: California Governor Gavin Newsom, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and, of course, Vice President Kamala Harris.

DeSantis ran for president in this election cycle, but dropped out in January and endorsed Trump. Meanwhile, rumors of Newsom launching a bid for president if Biden didn’t run plagued the 2024 campaign cycle, despite his repeated attempts to put an end to that speculation. He never did run, but it seems people are already betting that he will throw his hat in the ring for 2028.

Oddsmakers placed Newsom behind Vance as the 2028 presidential election winner
Oddsmakers placed Newsom behind Vance as the 2028 presidential election winner (AP)

Michelle Obama is no stranger to the White House. The former first lady and best-selling author has been campaigning for Harris, dazzling crowds with her speeches throughout the 2024 cycle.

But lower down on the list are some figures outside of the political arena. Rodgers was given +3000 odds to be elected president in 2028. The quarterback, who has labeled himself “super-patriotic,” has weighed in on politics in the past, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in May that he “definitely” considered being independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr’s running mate when approached about the offer.

Dwayne Johnson has been tipped as an outsider for the presidency in 2028.
Dwayne Johnson has been tipped as an outsider for the presidency in 2028. (Getty Images)

Johnson, who has discussed his political ambitions in the past, was given +3500 odds. The actor endorsed Biden for president in 2020 but opted against endorsing a candidate in 2024.

In 2017, he told Variety that he was “100 percent considering” a presidential run. Years later, in 2023, he revealed that he had been asked by multiple political parties to run, but later clarified to CBS that a presidential bid was “off the table.”

Billionaire Mark Cuban, who campaigned for Harris and is an outspoken Trump critic, was also given +3500 odds for the 2028 presidency. However, last month he said he wants to keep a distance from a political career: “I have no interest in being a politician of any type. I have no interest in serving in the cabinet for Kamala Harris or anybody.”

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