Vice President JD Vance is building up a significant lead as the Republican presidential frontrunner thanks to some "really weird" numbers, according to CNN's Harry Enten.
The prediction markets love the vice president's chances of as the heir apparent to President Donald Trump, and Enten told "CNN News Central" that Vance was building up a historic lead in a key Republican primary state more than two years out from the presidential election cycle.
"It is never,never too early to talk aboutpolitical risks because theseguys are running already, evenif they haven't formallydeclared they're alreadyrunning, and JD Vance isrunning well ahead of the field," Enten said. "I mean, take a look here: Topchances to be the 2028 GOPnominee, the prediction marketodds. Look at this: JD Vance, 48 percentchance – nobody else is evenclose. Marco Rubio is way backat 12 percent, and no one else is evenabove a 5 percent chance of being the2028 GOP nominee."
"JD Vance islike Mario Andretti, and Marco Rubio and the rest of the fieldare like going around in go-karts at this point. I mean,that's really what we'relooking at: JD Vance is theclear, heavy favorite at thistime."
The vice president has amassed a 42-point polling lead in New Hampshire over Nikki Haley, who's in second place with nine points, and Enten said he's never seen anyone race so far out front.
"There's a reasonwhy he's such a heavy favoritein the prediction market so far, because if you win the GOPprimary in New Hampshire,chances are you're going to bethe Republican nominee forpresident," Enten said. "I saw this51 percent [support for Vance], and all of a sudden therewas a buzz going around my head.I said, boy, this seems reallyweird. I can't recall anyonebeing this far ahead at thisearly stage in New Hampshire. Ilooked back, hitting 50 percent-plus inthe early New Hampshire pollsfor a sitting president, JD Vance is the only one, the onlyone you can go all the way backin the polling archives, all theway back to 1980, which is theearliest I could look at. JD Vance is the only one ever togetting a majority of the New Hampshire vote, according to theearly primary polls."
"At thispoint, JD Vance is pulling offsomething historic at this time,and that is the key reason whyat this point, he is the far andaway favorite for the Republicannomination," Enten added. "He's just way outahead of the pack."