Despite signing a new $100 million contract with ESPN last month, the buzz surrounding a potential Stephen A. Smith presidential run has hardly died down.
In fact, a new poll commissioned by Pablo Torre Finds Out discovered that the ESPN star’s political aspirations might be more realistic than many have given him credit for.
While a poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates in January seemed to pour some cold water on the idea of Smith making a presidential in 2028, PTFO‘s poll returned much more promising results. Performed by Rasmussen, the poll surveyed more than 1,000 likely voters and pitted the First Take star head to head against several potential Democratic candidates, as well as Vice President JD Vance.
When put against Kamala Harris in a hypothetical Democratic primary, Smith trailed the former Vice President and 2024 nominee 45% to 24%. Smith, however, fared much better against U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who he trailed 32% to 28% and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who he trailed 31% to 28%.
Meanwhile, in a hypothetical general election against Vance, Smith trailed the Republican Vice President 38% to 34%.
We commissioned a legit @Rasmussen_Poll of 1,000+ voters on Stephen A. Smith for president:
Harris 45%
Smith 24%AOC 32%
Smith 28%Newsom 31%
Smith 28%Vance 38%
Smith 34%Our pollster concludes: “Based on what I see in these numbers, he should run.”
👀 pic.twitter.com/9s1vZ6U8ZU
— Pablo Torre Finds Out (@pablofindsout) April 4, 2025
While Smith trailed in each head to head, the numbers are nonetheless encouraging for his potential presidential aspirations. Considering that unlike the other candidates, he’s not a full-time politician, it would stand to reason that the 57-year-old would return even more favorable results if he increased his name recognition in the field by committing to politics full-time.
“According to the pollster who worked with us on these crosstabs on this data, he looked at the top line numbers and said, ‘Based on what I see in these numbers, he should run,'” Pablo Torre relayed.
Whether the poll’s findings say more about Smith or the current political landscape is ultimately open for interpretation. But while a lot can — and will — obviously change between now and 2028, the conversation regarding Stephen A. Smith’s potential presidential candidacy doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.