Vice President JD Vance may be dominating in the extremely early polls for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, but a “wild card” is emerging, according to The Independent.

Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, is surging in polling conducted by McLaughlin & Associates — the same firm that conducted surveys for the president’s campaigns — while Vance’s lead is shrinking, the U.K-based outlet reported.

In August, the McLaughlin poll showed Vance with a commanding 20-percentage point lead over Trump Jr., 36% to 16%.

Two months later, Trump Jr. cut into Vance’s lead, with the vice president ahead in the poll, 38% to 20%. The next closest contender, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, polled at 7%.

In November, the McLaughlin survey “probably sent shock waves through Vance’s inner circle,” the Independent reported.

“The vice president’s support had slipped to 34 per cent, while Trump Jr had surged” to 24%, narrowing the gap to 10 percentage points.

Julia Azari, a political science professor at Marquette University and an expert in presidential politics, told the Independent that Trump Jr. is “still very much the wild card.

“It looks like Vance is still dominating the field. Both have a lot of name recognition, so it is possible that Vance is seen as someone who would represent a lot of continuity with the administration,” she said.

The Real Clear Politics average, consisting of polls taken from late August through mid-December, continues to show Vance with an overwhelming 38-point lead over Trump Jr., who remains the closest challenger to the vice president.

Vance has nearly 59% support in the Real Clear Politics average while Trump Jr. stands at 11%.

No Republican has announced an intention to run in 2028.

While speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum in May, the president’s son was asked by Bloomberg’s Joumanna Nasr Bercetche if he would “consider picking up the reins” when his father leaves the White House.

“You never know. You know, right now, this has been my focus,” he said, referring to combatting “woke ideology” in politics and the corporate world.