{"id":2584949,"date":"2026-03-28T16:59:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T20:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cpac-straw-poll-jd-vance-leads-2028-race\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T17:00:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T21:00:37","slug":"cpac-straw-poll-jd-vance-leads-2028-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cpac-straw-poll-jd-vance-leads-2028-race\/","title":{"rendered":"CPAC straw poll: JD Vance leads 2028 race"},"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\">16<\/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%2Fcpac-straw-poll-jd-vance-leads-2028-race%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=2584949&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>Teh CPAC 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-cpac-straw-poll-shows-one-candidate-dominating-gop-field-if-trump-not-on-ticket-in-2024\/\" title=\"New ... Straw ... Shows One Candidate Dominating ... Field If ... Not On Ticket In 2024\">straw poll<\/a> shows JD Vance as the leading contender for the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, with 53% of more than 1,600 attendees backing him. <\/p>\n<p>Key takeaways:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; JD Vance leads with 53% as the preferred candidate for 2028; Marco Rubio is a distant second at 35%,a notable jump from last year\u2019s 3%.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Rubio is the favorite cabinet member among respondents (60%), with War Secretary Pete Hegseth at 35%. Neither rubio nor Vance attended CPAC, though attendees praised Rubio\u2019s handling of the Iran issue.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The Iran war issue remains unpopular, and there is a division within MAGA on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pushing-the-global-south-into-the-embrace-of-china\/\" title=\"Pushing the Global South Into the Embrace of China\">foreign policy approaches<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Trump boasted a 96% approval rating at CPAC; Vance was at 92%, House Speaker Mike johnson 84%, and Senate majority Leader John Thune 57%.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In Texas, the host state for CPAC, the GOP Senate primary between Ken Paxton and John cornyn is contentious. Paxton, who appeared at CPAC, led 67% to 21% over cornyn, and CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp endorsed Paxton for the runoff.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The poll also highlighted that 88% beleive leaders and influencers create controversy to divide the GOP,with many attributing the division to the media.<\/p>\n<p>the event reinforces JD Vance as the 2028 GOP frontrunner in the eyes of CPAC attendees, while highlighting Rubio\u2019s rising profile and ongoing intra-party tensions.  <\/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\">CPAC 2026 straw poll: JD Vance is the 2028 GOP frontrunner for second year in a row<\/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; <\/strong>Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> is the leading contender for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\">2028<\/a> GOP presidential nomination, according to attendees of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cpac\">2026 Conservative Political Action Conference<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>CPAC&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-tells-cpac-expect-action-innovation-end-of-wokeness-in-his-2nd-term\/\" title=\"... Tells ...: Expect Action, Innovation, End of \u2018Wokeness\u2019 in His 2nd Term\">straw poll showed<\/a><\/a> that 53% of the more than 1,600 people who were surveyed selected Vance as their preferred choice for president, marking the second straight year the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a> has dominated the survey.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/presidential\/4508526\/rand-paul-50-50-running-president-2028\/\">Rand Paul says he&#8217;s &#8217;50-50&#8242; on running for president in 2028<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4505639\/cpac-2026-cools-on-trump-2028-campaign\/\">CPAC 2026 cools on Trump 2028 campaign<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4499394\/underestimating-jd-vance-2028-presidential-election\/\">Underestimating JD Vance<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>But 35% said they wanted Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"51\">Marco Rubio<\/a> to be their 2028 candidate.&nbsp;No other candidate received a double-digit response in the survey.<\/p>\n<p>This marks a significant increase for Rubio from last year&rsquo;s <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\/\">straw poll<\/a>, which showed just 3% preferred him as the 2028 candidate. Then, 61% wanted Vance as their candidate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The straw poll also showed that Rubio is the favorite member of President Donald Trump&rsquo;s Cabinet at 60%, with War Secretary Pete Hegseth coming in at second place at 35%.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Neither Rubio nor Vance attended this year&rsquo;s CPAC. But several attendees at the conference told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4506452\/marco-rubio-2028-presidential-election-cpac-support\/\">they were impressed <\/a>with the secretary of state&rsquo;s handling of several issues, including the Iran war.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Iran war is unpopular with the American public, according to several polls. The issue has also divided MAGA. Some, like Steve Bannon, are against U.S. involvement in Iran, while others claim Trump needed to deprive Iran of nuclear power.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A record turnout for the straw poll showed 88% agreed that leaders and influencers are creating controversy to divide the GOP, with many blaming the media for exaggerating the division.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, Trump, who skipped the gathering, garnered a 96% approval rate at CPAC despite the MAGA infighting. Vance had a 92% approval rate, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had a 84% approval rate and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) had a 57% approval rate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Texas, where CPAC is being held this year, is also home to the most contentious GOP Senate primary in the nation between state Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Paxton appeared onstage at CPAC after the straw poll showed him besting Cornyn, who skipped the conference, 67% to 21%.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4506452\/marco-rubio-2028-presidential-election-cpac-support\/\">MARCO RUBIO&rsquo;S STAR POWER RISES AT CPAC 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Look we can win this race. I need your help,&rdquo; Paxton implored the crowd ahead of the primary runoff on May 26. &ldquo;Get your friends out. I believe this audience can make the difference. So I&rsquo;m asking for your support. Let&rsquo;s get rid of the guy that represents Washington.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp said it was his &ldquo;honor&rdquo; to endorse Paxton in the primary runoff.<\/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>Vance tops CPAC 2026 poll as 2028 frontrunner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2584950,"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\/2026\/03\/vance-cpac-straw-poll-winner.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[41461,19858,32082,3911,40304],"class_list":["post-2584949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2028-election","tag-cpac","tag-jd-vance","tag-republican","tag-straw-poll"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/vance-cpac-straw-poll-winner.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584949","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\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2584949"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584953,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2584949\/revisions\/2584953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2584949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2584949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2584949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}