Vice President JD Vance was the runaway winner of a straw poll at CPAC to determine who should be the Republican presidential candidate in 2028.
Attendees at the annual conference were asked, “Thinking ahead to the 2028 Republican primary election for president, if the election were held today among the following candidates, for whom would you vote?”
Vice President JD Vance won the vote with 61%.
In second place was Steven Bannon with 12%, and in third place was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, with 7%.
Other candidates included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Donald Trump Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kristi Noem.
A straw poll is taken every year at CPAC. The 2025 poll represents a watershed after almost a decade of domination by Donald Trump, who at present will be unable to run for the presidency again.
JD Vance’s popularity has only grown since he became Vice President on 20 January this year.
A week ago, he delivered an earth-shattering speech in Munich, chastising Europe’s leaders for abandoning their commitment to the values that made Europe what it is.
“The threat that I worry most about vis-a-vis Europe is not Russia,” Vance said. “It’s not China. It’s not any external actor. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values,” Vance said.