WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Widens Lead as DeSantis Moves Ahead of Trump
The article reports that Marco Rubio has increased his lead in The Western Journal’s recent GOP 2028 presidential Straw Poll, obtaining 40% support, up from 39.1% the previous week. Vance remains in second place with 23.3%, slightly down from 23.7%. Other notable candidates include Thomas Massie, with 17.7%, down from 18.8%; Ron desantis at 6.9%, up from 6.2%; and Donald Trump at 6.7%,down from 7.4%. Rubio has consistently outperformed Vance in recent polls, and support for Trump has declined. The poll continues to track support levels ahead of potential 2028 presidential contenders and invites reader participation through ongoing surveys.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio widened his lead in The Western Journal’s latest GOP 2028 Presidential Straw Poll.
This past week, Rep. Thomas Massie also slipped, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved ahead of President Donald Trump.
Rubio received 40 percent of the vote in the survey, which was conducted the week of Sept. 21-27.
That was an increase of 0.9 percentage points from the previous week, when Rubio received 39.1 percent and held a 15.4-point lead over Vice President J.D. Vance.
Vance finished second in the latest weekly, non-scientific poll with 23.3 percent support.
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… pic.twitter.com/xA8Ct5QGhX
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) September 28, 2026
The vice president’s support was down 0.4 points from the previous week, when he received 23.7 percent of the vote.
The latest results put Rubio’s lead over Vance at 16.7 points compared with 15.4 points the previous week.
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.
Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who lost his primary earlier this year, remained in third place but saw his support decline this week.
He received 17.7 percent, down 1.1 points from the previous week’s 18.8 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.
DeSantis finished fourth this past week with 6.9 percent, gaining 0.7 points from the previous week’s 6.2 percent.
The results are in for The Western Journal’s 2028 GOP Straw Poll! 🇺🇸 Here’s where the candidates stand for Sept. 14–20th:
Marco Rubio – 39.1%
JD Vance – 23.7%
Thomas Massie – 18.8%
Donald J. Trump – 7.4%
Ron DeSantis – 6.2%
Other – 4.9%Where does your pick stand? Make your… pic.twitter.com/8iD85vQjyx
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) September 21, 2026
His increase put him ahead of Trump, who received 6.7 percent of the vote, down 0.7 points from the previous week’s 7.4 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 5.3 percent of the vote.
That was up from 4.9 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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