Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained firmly in first place in this week’s Western Journal presidential straw poll, widening an already substantial lead over the rest of the Republican field.
Rubio received the support of 46.1 percent of respondents who participated in our non-scientific straw poll during the week of Aug. 10-16.
That was up 2.8 percent from the previous week.
Vice President J.D. Vance finished second with 24.3 percent, posting a gain of 2.4 percentage points from the Aug. 3-9 poll.
Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, saw the largest decline in support among the leading candidates this past week.
He fell to 12.7 percent, a drop of 3.9 percentage points from the previous week.
🇺🇸 Straw poll RESULTS are in for the week of Aug. 10-16 — here’s how the GOP 2028 field stacks up:
Marco Rubio – 46.1%
JD Vance – 24.3%
Thomas Massie – 12.7%
Donald J. Trump – 8%
Ron DeSantis – 6.2%
Other – 2.7%Submit a new vote each week at The Western Journal’s… pic.twitter.com/zoZuys10G1
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) August 17, 2026
Does it surprise you that President Donald Trump is receiving so much 2028 support?
Yes: 19% (3 Votes)
No: 81% (13 Votes)
President Donald Trump came in fourth at 8 percent, despite the fact that he is not running again and is term-limited.
His support dropped 0.9 points this past week, yet the sitting president remained the favored candidate for many.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in fifth at 6.2 percent, slipping 0.2 percentage points from the week before.
All other candidates combined to receive 2.7 percent of the vote.
Candidates receiving less than 2 percent are grouped into the “Other” category in the Western Journal’s weekly Straw Poll.
Rubio’s strong results show he remains the clear leader right now, at least in this survey.
Vance has finished first in this survey several times before, but Rubio has elevated his profile in recent months.
The vice president still has plenty of time to catch up, especially since Trump’s current term is about to reach its halfway point — that is, assuming Vance makes a run for the White House.
No candidate in our poll has announced their intention to run.
There is always the possibility that a candidate not named could emerge at any point between now and when the 2028 campaign shifts into overdrive.
The president has not yet said who he wants as his successor.
There is little doubt his opinion on the matter could influence the race to carry the conservative movement into the future.
Primary voting is still about 16 months away.
The Western Journal Straw Poll is an informal survey that will track the popularity of the Republican candidates until voters get to choose who they want to carry the movement into a new decade at the polls.
You can participate in this week’s survey by clicking here.
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