{"id":2584573,"date":"2026-03-27T13:33:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marco-rubio-emerges-as-a-2028-favorite-at-cpac\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T13:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T17:34:11","slug":"marco-rubio-emerges-as-a-2028-favorite-at-cpac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marco-rubio-emerges-as-a-2028-favorite-at-cpac\/","title":{"rendered":"Marco Rubio emerges as a 2028 favorite at CPAC"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmarco-rubio-emerges-as-a-2028-favorite-at-cpac%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2584573&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Marco Rubio\u2019s star power is rising at CPAC 2026 in Grapevine, Texas, with attendees suggesting he could move into the top two for the 2028 GOP nomination. Many at the conference said rubio is their favorite for 2028, though some also backed JD Vance or envisioned a Rubio-Vance ticket. The piece notes Rubio\u2019s maturation since his 2016 challenge to Donald Trump and Trump\u2019s later praise of Rubio, including his roles as a foreign-policy diplomat and administrator of USAID. Supporters praised Rubio\u2019s experience and deliberate approach as an ambassador for the country. Though, vance led the 2025 CPAC straw poll for the 2028 race, with Rubio receiving a small share, and a 2026 straw poll is anticipated; Trump is not attending CPAC this year, leaving the field relatively unsettled about the final nominee.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Marco Rubio&rsquo;s star power rises at CPAC 2026<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2542366\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>GRAPEVINE, Texas &mdash;&nbsp;<\/strong>Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"51\">Marco Rubio&rsquo;s<\/a> popularity is growing and could possibly boost him to one of the top two spots in the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\">2028<\/a> GOP presidential race, if attendees at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cpac\">Conservative Political Action Conference<\/a> are to be believed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Many people at CPAC said Rubio was their favorite in the burgeoning 2028 race. Although many also said they would support Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7658\">JD Vance <\/a>in 2028 or wished for a Republican ticket involving both men.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4506475\/missouri-rep-sam-graves-withdraws-2026-reelection-bid\/\">Missouri Rep. Sam Graves withdraws plans for 2026 reelection bid<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4506505\/white-house-app-puts-presidency-in-pocket\/\">White House releases new app that puts the presidency in your pocket<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4506417\/house-scrambles-fund-dhs-conservatives-push-save-act-demands\/\">House scrambles to fund DHS as rebels revive SAVE America Act demands<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Marco Rubio is amazing,&rdquo; said James Schaare, 61, a VIP CPAC attendee. &ldquo;I used to not be a fan, but in the last year or two, Marco Rubio has really amazed me. I would support him.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rubio was among the more than a dozen Republicans who unsuccessfully challenged President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump <\/a>during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump even branded the secretary of state &ldquo;Little Marco&rdquo; back then.<\/p>\n<p>But in the decade since, Trump elevated Rubio as his top foreign diplomat and appointed him as acting archivist of the United States and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lack-of-leadership-is-the-greatest-threat-to-the-nation-gen-keith-kellogg\/\" title=\"\u2018Lack of Leadership\u2019 Is the Greatest Threat to the Nation: Gen. Keith Kellogg\">acting national security adviser<\/a>. Rubio also previously held the title of administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio&rsquo;s handling of Venezuela after capturing former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Rubio also won plaudits from Trump for his <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high-profile role amid<\/a> the Iran war and for amping up pressure on Cuba to transition to new leadership.<\/p>\n<p>It hasn&rsquo;t gone unnoticed by the MAGA base.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He has really impressed me in his role,&rdquo; said Kim Sanders, 61, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cuomo-to-partially-reopen-indoor-dining-in-nyc-for-valentines-day-if-positivity-rates-hold\/\" title=\"Cuomo To Partially Reopen Indoor Dining In NYC For Valentine\u2019s Day, \u2018If Positivity Rates Hold\u2019\">small business owner<\/a> from Alabama. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve seen him change across time, and I&rsquo;ve seen a little more maturity &hellip; because I think that he&rsquo;s been a more deliberate, intentional ambassador for our country than I expected him to be.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Virginia Bond, a 74-year-old retiree from Grapevine, Texas, said she was supporting Rubio because &ldquo;he&rsquo;s really stepped up and supported Trump and really helped with Trump&rsquo;s policies.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>CPAC attendees also claimed that Rubio was their choice because Vance still had time to seek the White House after the 2028 race.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I like Rubio just because he has a little more experience. I think JD has got a great future ahead of him, and I think we could really use him back in the Senate if he&rsquo;s not on the ticket,&rdquo; said Bond. &ldquo;But yeah, Rubio is my choice.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;JD, he&rsquo;s still young. I think he&rsquo;s got some time. He&rsquo;s got some time to serve,&rdquo; Sanders added. &ldquo;But I think maybe 2028 our nominee is Rubio.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Trump has indicated he would support a GOP ticket that includes both Rubio and Vance, as did many people at CPAC. But which man is the actual nominee, and who is the running mate, is still unclear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It would be a tough decision. I like them equally. I would say,&rdquo; said Anne Diaz, 64, from Georgetown, Texas. &ldquo;They&rsquo;d be good together. It would be a good team.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sandy Schoepke, a Georgia resident who is moving to Texas, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> she was skeptical of Vance running in 2028 and said her top choice was Rubio.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think Vance is gonna run in 2028&rdquo;, Schoepke said. &ldquo;I think Vance has done a great job. I think they&rsquo;d be a great ticket. But I don&rsquo;t think Vance would want to be a vice president to Rubio.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At the 2025 CPAC, Vance overwhelmingly led all 2028 Republicans <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3327218\/cpac-straw-poll-jd-vance-emerges-as-2028-gop-frontrunner\/\">in the straw poll<\/a>. Vance was the top choice for 61% of the nearly 1,000 people surveyed at last year&rsquo;s confab. <\/p>\n<p>Rubio only received 3% support, but that will likely increase when CPAC releases the 2026 straw poll on Saturday. Neither Rubio nor Vance attended this year&rsquo;s CPAC, and Trump is also skipping the annual conference. But it hasn&rsquo;t stopped the fervent support for the secretary of state.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4502540\/jd-vance-road-to-2028-republican-nomination\/\">THE ROAD TO THE 2028 GOP NOMINATION: VANCE WILL BE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BEAT, BUT SOMEONE WILL TRY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If Rubio does decide to seek the White House again, he will have a base ready to come to his aid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I would campaign for him,&rdquo; said Schaare, the VIP CPAC attendee. &ldquo;I work on a lot of campaigns here locally. And, I mean, I would actually work on his campaign if I could.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rubio shines at CPAC 2026, fueling 2028 bid chatter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2757,"featured_media":2584574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/marco-rubio.webp?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[11331,19858,34360],"class_list":["post-2584573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-11331","tag-cpac","tag-marco-rubio"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/marco-rubio.webp?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2757"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584577,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584573\/revisions\/2584577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}