CPAC's Post-Trump Debate: Vance Tops Rubio for 2028 Nominee
TL;DR
At CPAC 2026 in Grapevine, Texas, JD Vance won the conference straw poll for the 2028 GOP nomination with 53% of votes, edging Marco Rubio at 35%. The non-scientific poll, which drew about 1,600 attendees, occurred without Trump, highlighting a budding intra‑party contest over the post‑Trump path. Rubio remains a leading figure in diplomacy and foreign policy for the administration, while Vance’s hawkish past and personal backstory keep him a strong Carson-like contender; some younger conservatives leaned toward Rubio, signaling shifting but unsettled dynamics as the GOP maps its future.
- Vance or Rubio? CPAC debates a Republican Party after Trump CNN
- JD Vance leads CPAC poll for next Republican presidential candidate The Guardian
- Vice President Vance wins CPAC conservative meeting's 2028 presidential straw poll Reuters
- Vice President JD Vance tops CPAC’s straw poll to be US president in 2028 Al Jazeera
- Vance Wins CPAC Straw Poll, but Rubio Gains Steam Among MAGA Faithful The New York Times
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