Grapevine, Texas
A decade in the past, Jessica Luebbers couldn’t have imagined supporting Marco Rubio for president. His acrimonious race to cease Donald Trump’s march to the White House in 2016 left a bitter style in her mouth.
But as she and tons of of different Trump supporters gathered outdoors Dallas this week on the Conservative Political Action Conference to contemplate the way forward for the motion, Luebbers mentioned she hoped the president would go the torch to his former rival in 2028.
“I was a little skeptical when Trump picked Rubio (for secretary of state) but, man, he has knocked it out of the park,” Luebbers mentioned. “It’s amazing how much he’s had on his plate.”
The rising consolation with Rubio amongst conservatives was captured in CPAC’s annual straw ballot of potential 2028 contenders. After barely registering within the casual survey final yr, 35% of attendees at this yr’s occasion mentioned they needed him to be the celebration’s subsequent nominee, in keeping with outcomes launched Saturday.
Rubio trailed solely Vice President JD Vance, who received the CPAC straw ballot for the second time with 53%, albeit with much less assist than in 2025, when he received 61%.
The straw ballot is just not a scientific survey, with a pool restricted to convention attendees, and isn’t consultant of the broader Republican voters. But the result’s sure to additional gasoline Republican Party intrigue over the budding rivalry between two high Trump confidantes. Rubio has taken a main function for the administration amid Trump’s more and more aggressive navy posture and high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in Venezuela, Iran and Cuba.
Vance, in the meantime, has these days operated extra typically from behind the scenes. His previous statements loudly opposing new overseas conflicts has left some Trump supporters questioning the place he stands on the choice to strike Iran and kill many high regime officers, together with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Some youthful conservatives who voiced opposition to Trump’s conflict appeared to desire Rubio to Vance – regardless of the secretary’s traditionally hawkish positions.
“I may disagree with him on something like the Iran war and how he’s spoken about that, but then I can agree with him on some other policies,” mentioned Luke Rosati, a pupil at Xavier University.
He added: “I hate seeing the president and vice president run. I want someone new and different.”
Still, Vance has many supporters inside the GOP base who have been desperate to punch his title within the CPAC straw ballot. His backstory because the son of a drug addict raised by his grandmother – chronicled in his best-selling ebook “Hillbilly Elegy” – stays compelling to his followers.
“I think he speaks to a lot of people in the country that maybe other people in the country would pass off,” mentioned William Augustine, who lives within the Dallas space and attended CPAC along with his spouse Susan.
The debate over the celebration’s future befell with out its most influential voice: Trump, who skipped the convention for the primary time in a decade. Trump has publicly averted choosing an inheritor, although he has praised each Vance and Rubio. Among the CPAC trustworthy, his endorsement will in the end loom giant over the nominating contest, ought to he determine to play kingmaker.
“Certainly, President Trump’s endorsement will play a big role because he needs to continue his legacy,” mentioned Henry Tian of Texas. “Four years is not enough.”
There stay some holdouts, too, who need to see Trump run once more regardless of the Constitution making clear that wouldn’t be allowed.
“We need Trump. We need this to keep going,” mentioned Frank Robles of Paso Robles, California, who wore a Trump 2028 hat to CPAC. “We can’t stop the momentum.”
Vance has largely dismissed 2028 chatter, whereas Rubio has mentioned he would assist the vice chairman if he runs. Most notable Republican figures have averted publicly teasing a presidential bid, although Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul informed CBS he was contemplating operating once more and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t rule it out in a current interview with Sean Hannity.
None of the aforementioned spoke this week at CPAC, which has historically served as a platform for future presidential contenders to introduce themselves to the GOP base. This yr, few of the rumored 2028 hopefuls made the pilgrimage to Texas.
One exception was the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, who acquired a heat welcome as he laid out his imaginative and prescient for the GOP – one that mixes Trump populism and blue-collar assist with bedrock GOP ideas like small authorities, low taxes and restricted rules.
“The people who say, ‘We’re conservative, but we’re big government conservatives,’ I’m here to tell you, you’re not being a populist, you’re advocating for the policies of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren,” Cruz mentioned.
The message resonated with Barbara Lewis, a Texas retiree who mentioned she hopes her home-state senator runs for president once more in 2028.
“I just think he’s done a good job for Texas,” she mentioned.
Cruz, although, didn’t get a home-court benefit within the CPAC ballot. His assist registered at 1%.
Nor did the occasion’s closing speaker, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., discover a lot curiosity inany future political ambitions. His assist within the ballot was 0%.
In truth, nobody outdoors of Rubio and Vance surpassed 2% within the survey, which included about 1,600 members. Many are already looking forward to a Vance-Rubio ticket – ideally in that order for Maxine Cunnyngham of Edmond, Oklahoma.
“They are the men for the hour,” she mentioned, “and they are positioned right now in the government where they are learning everything they don’t already know and they are going to be perfect.”
Susan Augustine provided one other concept.
“They’d make a good team,” she mentioned. “Too bad they couldn’t co-president, you know?”