Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appears to be the Democratic Party’s best chance at winning the presidency against Secretary of State Marco Rubio or Vice President JD Vance in 2028, according to a poll released on Thursday.

In hypothetical matchups in the latest Emerson College survey, Buttigieg led both likely GOP presidential contenders by 5 points, with 49% support among likely voters compared to his opponents’ equal 44% share. In Buttigieg’s possible contest with Vance, 8% of voters were undecided. But with Buttigieg against Rubio, 7% were undecided.

The undecided voter figures show Rubio fares slightly better against the prospective Democratic candidate than Vance. Rubio’s edge over Vance holds up in their respective matchups with four other Democrats.

With Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) as their competitor, Rubio and Vance are both tied at 44% again. But Rubio only trails Ossoff by 3 points, whereas Vance trails the incumbent Senate Democrat by 5 points. Ossoff is up for reelection this year.

While facing Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), Rubio is behind the Democrat by 2 points and Vance by 5 points. The governor is leaving office in January 2027, so he is among the rumored contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.

In her matchup with Rubio, former Vice President Kamala Harris falls 5 points behind. But against Vance, she leads by 4 points. Harris, who lost to President Donald Trump in 2024, has not decided on a comeback presidential run yet.

Meanwhile, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is the only possible presidential candidate who loses to both Rubio and Vance in the poll. She is 5 points behind Rubio and 2 points behind Vance. The progressive lawmaker has not ruled out a presidential bid.

Of all five prospective Democratic candidates in the poll, Buttigieg was the one who held his own the most against the two Trump administration officials. He is keeping a presidential run on the table for now. Speculation of his possible presidential campaign comes as Buttigieg prepares to headline a conference hosted by the South Carolina Democratic Party this Saturday.

Neither Rubio nor Vance has decided on running for president in 2028, but they are the two favorite Republican contenders right now. Their announcements about entry into the race will likely come after the midterm elections in November. Trump has not officially named his preferred successor.

Emerson College surveyed 1,000 likely voters across the nation from Aug. 16 to 17. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction.