{"id":2672006,"date":"2026-09-28T15:35:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wj-straw-poll-rubio-widens-lead-as-desantis-moves-ahead-of-trump\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T15:39:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T19:39:35","slug":"wj-straw-poll-rubio-widens-lead-as-desantis-moves-ahead-of-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wj-straw-poll-rubio-widens-lead-as-desantis-moves-ahead-of-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Widens Lead as DeSantis Moves Ahead of Trump"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fwj-straw-poll-rubio-widens-lead-as-desantis-moves-ahead-of-trump%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=2672006&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>The article reports that Marco Rubio has increased his lead in The Western Journal\u2019s 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tpusa-erika-kirk-look-to-win-over-young-women-for-2028-ross-okeefe\/\" title=\"TPUSA, Erika Kirk look to win over young women for 2028: Ross O&#039;Keefe\">potential 2028 presidential contenders<\/a> and invites reader participation through ongoing surveys.  <\/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\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio widened his lead in The Western Journal\u2019s latest GOP 2028 Presidential Straw Poll.<\/p>\n<p>This past week, Rep. Thomas Massie also slipped, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis moved ahead of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio received 40 percent of the vote in <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.westernjournal.com\/straw-poll-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the survey<\/a>, which was conducted the week of Sept. 21-27.<\/p>\n<p>That was an increase of 0.9 percentage points from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wj-straw-poll-rubio-opens-big-lead-support-massie-jumps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the previous week<\/a>, when Rubio received 39.1 percent and held a 15.4-point lead over Vice President J.D. Vance.<\/p>\n<p>Vance finished second in the latest weekly, non-scientific poll with 23.3 percent support.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The votes are counted! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Here\u2019s how The Western Journal\u2019s 2028 GOP Straw Poll finished for Sept. 21\u201327:<\/p>\n<p>Marco Rubio \u2013 40%<br \/> JD Vance \u2013 23.3%<br \/> Thomas Massie \u2013 17.7%<br \/> Ron DeSantis \u2013 6.9%<br \/> Donald J. Trump \u2013 6.7%<br \/> Other \u2013 5.3%<\/p>\n<p>Where does your choice land this week? Cast a new vote and\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xA8Ct5QGhX\">pic.twitter.com\/xA8Ct5QGhX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WesternJournalX\/status\/2104590096250917125?\">September 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The vice president\u2019s support was down 0.4 points from the previous week, when he received 23.7 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>The latest results put Rubio\u2019s lead over Vance at 16.7 points compared with 15.4 points the previous week.<\/p>\n<p>The two battled for the top spot repeatedly earlier this year when The Western Journal first launched the weekly survey.<\/p>\n<p>Rubio has consistently outperformed Vance in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>Massie, a Republican from Kentucky who lost his primary earlier this year, remained in third place but saw his support decline this week.<\/p>\n<p>He received 17.7 percent, down 1.1 points from the previous week\u2019s 18.8 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Massie\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis finished fourth this past week with 6.9 percent, gaining 0.7 points from the previous week\u2019s 6.2 percent.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The results are in for The Western Journal\u2019s 2028 GOP Straw Poll! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 Here\u2019s where the candidates stand for Sept. 14\u201320th:<\/p>\n<p>Marco Rubio \u2013 39.1%<br \/> JD Vance \u2013 23.7%<br \/> Thomas Massie \u2013 18.8%<br \/> Donald J. Trump \u2013 7.4%<br \/> Ron DeSantis \u2013 6.2%<br \/> Other \u2013 4.9%<\/p>\n<p>Where does your pick stand? Make your\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8iD85vQjyx\">pic.twitter.com\/8iD85vQjyx<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/WesternJournalX\/status\/2102035075139244280?\">September 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>His increase put him ahead of Trump, who received 6.7 percent of the vote, down 0.7 points from the previous week\u2019s 7.4 percent.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cOther\u201d category, which includes candidates receiving less than 2 percent individually, accounted for 5.3 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n<p>That was up from 4.9 percent the previous week.<\/p>\n<p>The Western Journal will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/weekly-straw-poll-vances-support-slides-from-record-high-yet-no-other-candidate-comes-close\/\" title=\"...: ...&#039;s ... Slides from Record High, Yet No Other Candidate Comes Close\">continue tracking reader sentiment<\/a> about the potential 2028 Republican field until Republican primary voters have the opportunity to be heard at the polls.<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to participate in this week\u2019s survey, you can do so by <a href=\"https:\/\/forms.westernjournal.com\/strawpoll2028\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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