White House race underway: With 2026 looming, both parties are already playing for 2028

From a major endorsement of Vice President JD Vance to speculation-sparking appearances by former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom at a major Democratic Party summit, it appears to be game on in the next White House race.

Even though the main campaign focus this year will be on the 2026 midterm elections and the battle for Congress, early moves are underway in the 2028 race to succeed term-limited President Donald Trump.

The starting gun for the next presidential showdown won't be fired until after November's midterms. But that's not preventing the large field of potential White House contenders from making headlines.

Vance, considered by many to be Trump's heir apparent to eventually take over the MAGA mantle, was endorsed last month by Erika Kirk at an annual summit hosted by Turning Point USA, the increasingly influential and politically powerful conservative group.

VANCE AMPLIFIES HIS 2026 MESSAGE WHILE LANDING KEY 2028 BACKING

Kirk, who took over the reins of Turning Point after her husband and conservative champion Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September, opened the conference by supporting Vance.

"We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible," in 2028, she said. "Forty-eight" refers to the number of the next president.

The backing of the vice president by Turning Point, which is particularly influential among younger conservatives and whose political arm has built up a powerful grassroot outreach operation, could give Vance a major boost should he decide to run for president in the 2028 election.

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A longtime Trump adviser told Fox News Digital that "it wasn’t a surprise to see her endorse, given that while he was still alive, Charlie couldn’t have been more explicit about supporting Vance in 2028."

And the adviser, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, emphasized that Erika Kirk's backing "reaffirmed that Turning Point’s entire political machinery will be behind him [Vance] if he decides to run. It’s another big get for the vice president and a warning shot to other potential candidates."

While Vance is considered the clear Republican frontrunner at this extremely early point in the 2028 cycle, other GOP lawmakers appear to be laying down markers.

Two Republicans who tangled with Trump during the party's contentious 2016 presidential primary — Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky — are increasingly voicing their differences with the president and his administration.

Among the other Republicans to keep an eye on in the new year are Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who was battered by Trump and his allies during the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, Govs. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Brian Kemp of Georgia, and possibly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who as a senator from Florida ran unsuccessfully for the 2016 nomination.

Whether the Republicans have a competitive 2028 presidential primary will depend in part on the success of Trump's second term, whether the economy soars and how the GOP fares in next year's midterms.

Regardless of those factors, as the part out of power, it's a sure bet the Democrats will have a wide open race for their party's presidential nomination.

Harris, the Democrats' 2024 standard-bearer after then-President Joe Biden exited the race, showcased an edgier stump speech as she railed against both major parties and the political status quo in an address at the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) winter meeting in December.

And Newsom landed the red carpet treatment, as he mingled with delegates during the opening day of the DNC's confab, which was held this year in Los Angeles, home turf to both Harris and Newsom.

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"Obviously, we must focus on the midterms," Harris said in her speech. "But Democrats, we must also have a clear vision for what comes after the midterms. And then after Trump. We need to answer the question. We need to answer the question: what comes next for our party and our democracy?"

Expect to see more of Harris in the new year helping Democrats from coast to coast as the party works to win back congressional majorities in the midterms.

And Harris has added more 2026 stops to her book tour promoting "107 Days," her reflections on her abbreviated 2024 presidential campaign. Among the stops is one in South Carolina, a crucial early-voting primary state in the Democratic Party's presidential nominating calendar.

While Newsom didn't address the delegates at the DNC's general session, he was treated like a VIP as he held meetings and mingled with delegates during the opening day of the winter meeting. And Newsom met with the Democratic Party chairs from New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state, and Nevada, another crucial early voting state.

"We had a great discussion on a wide range of issues," longtime New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley told Fox News Digital.

Newsom's stature in his own party has soared this year, thanks to his very vocal and visual pushback against the president, including his viral social media trolling of Trump and his successful California push to counter the Republican congressional redistricting effort.

"Newsom has shown an ability to stand up to Trump in a bold and highly effective manner without shying away from core democratic values," veteran Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo told Fox News Digital.

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While both Newsom and Harris made a splash at the DNC winter meeting, they both have plenty of detractors who worry that neither would be electable in 2028 when the Democrats try to win back the White House.

And if one or both of them launch presidential campaigns, they'll likely be joined by a large crowd of other contenders.

One of those possible White House hopefuls is Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who was also making the rounds during the opening day of the DNC meeting.

There are more than a dozen other Democrats thought to be potential 2028 White House contenders. And most of them have been paying visits to the early voting states, as well as parachuting onto the 2025 campaign trail.

Among them are Govs. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan; Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut; progressive superstar Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another leading progressive; and two moderate Democrats, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and former White House chief of staff and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

With crucial midterm battles from coast to coast this year, expect to see much more of potential 2028 contenders out on the campaign trail in the months ahead.

A New Hampshire-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that he and activists in the state are receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the White House hopefuls.

"Every week I receive a dozen," the strategist said,