A majority of activists attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) selected Vice President JD Vance as their preferred nominee for president in 2028.
Fifty-three percent of activists in the CPAC straw poll chose Vance while 35 percent chose Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The CPAC straw poll offers a window into the preferred choice for grassroots activists who attend the conference every year.
Vance, who did not speak at the conference this year, earned more support the previous year with 61 percent.
Rubio, who only earned three percent support in 2025, earned significantly more support from conservatives, thanks to his work for President Trump on issues of foreign policy.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis only got two percent tied with President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
DeSantis has indicated he is considering another run after unsuccessfully challenging President Trump in the 2024 primary, but did not speak at the conference this year.
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President JD Vance sit in the Situation Room
United States Vice President JD Vance, left, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, right,
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard all came in with just one percent.
The conference this year was held in the Dallas suburb of Grapevine, Texas, at the Gaylord Texan hotel and convention center, a shift from the usual location outside of Washington, DC.
President Trump did not appear at the conference this year, choosing instead to spend the weekend at his club at Mar-a-Lago as the war in Iran continues.
CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp told the Daily Mail that potential successors for President Trump would have to imitate his willingness to make time for activists.
‘If you want to follow in Trump’s footsteps, you have to have these virtues of being available, being quotable, being interactive with media, being interactive with activists, being interactive with leaders in the community,’ he said.
