As Democrats in the United States continue to celebrate a monumental midterm comeback and Republicans begin to consider politics after United States President Donald Trump, attention is turning to who could occupy the White House next.
On the Republican side, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are widely seen as the leading contenders — though the party's poor midterm showing has raised questions over whether MAGA allies will appeal to voters again.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, and former UN ambassdor Nikki Haley are also rumoured possible Republican challengers.
Among Democrats, the picture is as yet unclear on who might be on the ballot for the executive branch in 2028.
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Governors, senators, and congresspeople are all rumoured as potential nominees, with a long run-up ahead until the formal adoption of a nominee in August before the November vote in 2028.
With a fresh batch of Democratic leaders headed to Congress and strong messages from voters, the challenger party has several frontrunners to choose from, but the man with the most buzz has an unlikely connection to Australia.
At 39, Jon Ossoff is emerging as one of the Democratic Party's fastest-rising stars and the man currently tipped as the most likely to be the 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
The Georgia senator's profile has grown over the past year thanks to a string of high-profile speeches castigating Trump as corrupt and unfit for office.
He strengthened his position further last week by comfortably winning re-election in one of the country's most closely watched battleground states — and delivering a galvanising victory speech.
Ossoff said victories by his party in the midterm elections represented a rejection of Trump.
"In sweeping and decisive victories, the American people have rebuked the depravity, corruption and incompetence of the failed lame duck President Donald J. Trump," Ossoff said in the speech to his supporters.
The young and charismatic politician became the Senate's youngest member when he was sworn in back in 2021, and his victory has fuelled speculation about a possible White House bid — even though Ossoff has repeatedly insisted he has "zero interest" in running for president.
Punters have already placed large bets on his presidency.
Prediction markets have Ossoff as the favourite to win the White House in 2028 — the first time that Vance, the presumed Republican candidate, lost pole position to succeed Trump in two years.
The potential future leader of the US has Aussie roots, as his mother, Heather Fenton, was born and raised in Sydney before emigrating to her son's birth-country in her twenties.
His grandmother was from Brisbane, while his grandfather hailed from Melbourne's inner-west suburb of Footscray. Ossoff previously held dual Australian citizenship before it later lapsed.
It's unclear if he's spent much time in Australia but Nine Newspapers in 2021 reported Ossoff had travelled to Australia several times.
In a 2020 social media post marking International Women's Day, Ossoff paid tribute to his mother saying she was an immigrant and the first of her family to graduate from college.
"She became a US citizen, a successful entrepreneur, and an accomplished advocate for the advancement of American women," he wrote.
"I want to thank my mum for all she's done!"
Ossoff has also joked about his Australian influence growing up.
"I grew up eating Vegemite," Ossoff previously told TMZ. "Vegemite is a little bit of an acquired taste, but there is a laid-back culture in Australia."
For Democrats searching for a fresh face after the Biden and Harris era, Ossoff is considered an appealing prospect, drawing comparisons to former president Barack Obama with his speaking style, presentation and pull of younger voters.
The Democratic field is crowded but the midterms have given some likely candidates a boost.
Before the midterms, Kamala Harris, 62, had been the favourite for the nomination, but there are many in the party who would prefer to have someone without a losing track record.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, 53, who was interviewed by Harris to be her running mate in 2024, had a good night last week as he stormed back to re-election in the key battleground state.
Outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom, 59, is another big name who has run a very public social media campaign against Trump and his administration. But Newsom, like Harris, may be seen as more of an old guard figure in a party that is looking to its rising stars.
A prominent but potentially divisive choice would be left-wing New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said in September she was weighing a run, musing about whether a Latina could win in a country that rejected female nominees in 2016 and 2024.
The recent midterm results, however, returned one of the most diverse political casts ever, with a Latina now governor of traditionally conservative Texas.
Other possible contenders include former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, JB Pritzker, the billionaire Illinois governor who set out a lengthy national agenda after winning a third term on Tuesday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Arizona senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly.
— With additional reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
