Vice President JD Vance emerged as the top choice for the next Republican presidential nominee in a straw poll conducted at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The poll, released on Saturday during CPAC's annual gathering in Grapevine, Texas, showed that 53% of the more than 1,600 attendees who voted chose Vance as their preferred candidate.
Key Takeaways
Vice President JD Vance emerged as the top choice for the next Republican presidential nominee in a straw poll at CPAC, receiving 53% support from attendees. Secretary of State Marco Rubio came in second with 35%. The results reflect Vance's popularity within MAGA and America First groups. Meanwhile, both candidates are navigating their roles in the Trump administration while considering future political plans.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio came in second with 35% support. No other contender received more than 2% of the vote. CPAC is a significant annual event for right-wing and Republican politicians and activists, hosted by the American Conservative Union. While the straw poll is not necessarily a reliable predictor of the eventual nominee, it provides insight into conservative perspectives.
The results reflect Vance's popularity within MAGA and America First groups. Attendees at CPAC expressed support for Vance because they see him as aligned with the MAGA movement and appreciate his references to Christian faith. Paul Empson, a 58-year-old accountant from Fort Worth, Texas, told Reuters he voted for Vance because he sees him as a genuine person willing to proclaim his faith in Jesus Christ publicly.
Rubio's strong second-place finish follows an increase in his responsibilities and public profile, particularly around the U.S. operation in Venezuela and the month-long strikes against Iran. Recent numbers from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center in New Hampshire also showed Rubio surging, with a handful of national polls pointing to a rise in support for a hypothetical Rubio bid.
The results have fueled intrigue over what some in the Republican Party see as a budding rivalry between Rubio and Vance. However, both candidates describe each other as friends. Trump has praised Rubio's performance as secretary of state but has also promoted a Vance-Rubio ticket without specifying who should be at the top.
Meanwhile, Vance appeared at a secretive conservative donor summit in Nashville, where he headlined a closed-door gathering for the spring summit of the Rockbridge Network, a donor group that he co-founded. The event cost at least $100,000 per person to attend and included about 250 members of the donor community. Vance's remarks focused on his role leading President Trump's new anti-fraud task force and the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.
The Rockbridge Network event was attended by key figures such as billionaire heiress Rebekah Mercer, Omeed Malik, a business partner of Donald Trump Jr., and other influential donors. Speculation about Vance's potential 2028 presidential bid loomed over the multi-day event, with attendees expressing strong support for his candidacy.
As President Trump assembled his Cabinet last week, he asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance to give an update on the Iran war. Rubio, known for his hawkish views, gave an impassioned defense of the war, calling it “a favor” to the United States and the world. Vance, who has long pushed for restraint in U.S. military intervention overseas, was more sedate. He said that the U.S. now has “options” it didn’t have a year ago and that it is important Iran does not get a nuclear weapon — before redirecting his remarks toward wishing the troops a happy Easter.
The exchange highlighted their diverging postures towards the war, which could pose challenges for both candidates in the 2028 election. Rubio's full-throated support for the war could come back to haunt him depending on how the conflict develops. Vance, meanwhile, would risk accusations of disloyalty if he were to stray too far from Trump but struggles to square an appearance of support for the war with his past comments.
The White House addressed the Rubio-Vance relationship in a statement, saying President Trump has full confidence in both Vice President Vance and Secretary Rubio. The apparent split between Rubio and Vance on the Iran war is emblematic of the divide starting to cleave within the Republican Party. A recent survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found some divisions within the GOP on Iran, with about half of Republicans saying the U.S. military action has been “about right.”
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