WJ Straw Poll: Marco Rubio Takes a Commanding Lead Over the Rest of the Field

Secretary of State Marco Rubio nearly doubled Vice President J.D. Vance’s support in The Western Journal’s latest GOP 2028 Presidential Straw Poll.

Rubio received 43.9 percent of the vote in the survey, which was conducted the week of Sept. 28-Oct. 4.

Vance finished second with 22 percent, putting Rubio just shy of twice the vice president’s level of support.

Rubio’s support increased 3.9 percentage points from the previous week, when he received 40 percent of the vote.

The votes are counted! 🇺🇸 Here’s how The Western Journal’s 2028 GOP Straw Poll finished for Sept. 21–27:

Marco Rubio – 40%
JD Vance – 23.3%
Thomas Massie – 17.7%
Ron DeSantis – 6.9%
Donald J. Trump – 6.7%
Other – 5.3%

Where does your choice land this week? Cast a new vote and make your voice heard at The Western Journal’s https://t.co/UhPwxhxWh4
https://t.co/g44z3VxPN1

— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) September 28, 2026

Meanwhile, Vance’s support fell 1.3 points from the previous week, when he received 23.3 percent.

The two battled for the top spot repeatedly earlier this year when The Western Journal first launched the weekly survey.

Rubio has consistently outperformed Vance in recent months, and the latest results show his advantage continuing to grow.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who lost his primary earlier this year, remained in third place this past week and also saw his of support decline again.

He received 16.5 percent, down 1.2 points from the previous week’s 17.7 percent.

Massie’s support has fluctuated considerably in recent weeks.

He briefly surged to the top of the poll in August before falling back as Rubio and Vance moved ahead of him entering October.

President Donald Trump moved into fourth place this past week with 8 percent support, gaining 1.3 points from the previous week’s 6.7 percent.

His increase put him ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who received 6.3 percent of the vote, which was down 0.6 points from the previous week’s 6.9 percent.

Trump is constitutionally limited to two terms and is not a candidate for another presidential term in 2028, but he has continued to draw support in the weekly straw poll.

The “Other” category, which includes candidates receiving less than 2 percent individually, accounted for 3.3 percent of the vote.

That was down from 5.3 percent the previous week.

The Western Journal will continue tracking reader sentiment about the potential 2028 Republican field until Republican primary voters have the opportunity to be heard at the polls.

If you would like to participate in this week’s survey, you can do so by clicking here.

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