WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Nears 50 Percent as Massie Loses More Ground

Secretary of State Marco Rubio strengthened his lead over Vice President J.D. Vance in The Western Journal’s latest GOP 2028 Presidential Straw Poll.

Rubio received 48.1 percent support in this past week’s survey, which was conducted from Oct. 12-18.

Vance finished second with 20.6 percent of the vote, less than half of Rubio’s total.

The latest results are in! Here’s where the candidates stand in The Western Journal’s 2028 GOP Presidential Straw Poll following the Oct. 12–18 voting period:

Marco Rubio – 48.1%
JD Vance – 20.6%
Thomas Massie – 12.7%
Donald J. Trump – 8.7%
Ron DeSantis – 5.8%
Other – 4.2%

The race continues, and your vote could help shape next week’s results!
Head to https://t.co/UhPwxhxWh4 to cast your vote and see how the standings change. https://t.co/g44z3VxPN1

— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) October 19, 2026

Vance’s support increased slightly from 20.3 percent the previous week, while Rubio gained 1.4 points from his previous showing of 46.7 percent.

Rubio now leads Vance by 27.5 points, further extending his advantage in the weekly, non-scientific survey.

Since The Western Journal first launched the survey earlier this year, Rubio and Vance have been the favored potential contenders of a majority of participants.

Rubio has consistently outperformed Vance in recent months.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky remained in third place but saw the largest decline among the leading candidates this past week.

Massie received 12.7 percent of the vote, which was down 2.6 points from the previous week’s 15.3 percent.

Another week of voting is complete, and the results are in! Here’s how The Western Journal’s 2028 GOP Presidential Straw Poll stands after the Oct. 5–11 voting period:

Marco Rubio – 46.7%
JD Vance – 20.3%
Thomas Massie – 15.3%
Donald J. Trump – 6.8%
Ron DeSantis – 6.4%
Other – 4.7%

A new week means another opportunity to make your voice heard! 🇺🇸 Cast your vote at https://t.co/UhPwxhxWh4 and check back next week for the latest results. https://t.co/g44z3VxPN1

— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) October 12, 2026

President Donald Trump finished fourth with 8.7 percent support, which was up 1.9 points from the previous week’s 6.8 percent.

Trump is constitutionally limited to two terms and is not eligible to seek another presidential term in 2028, but he continues to draw support in the weekly straw poll.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in fifth place with 5.8 percent of the vote, which was down 0.6 percentage points from the previous week’s 6.4 percent.

The “Other” category, which includes candidates receiving less than 2 percent of the vote individually, accounted for 4.2 percent of responses.

That was down from 4.7 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 make their voices 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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