Vice President JD Vance seems to be the clear favorite in the GOP Primary for 2028. According to Rasmussen Reports' national telephone and online survey, if the GOP primary were to be held today, 35 percent of likely republican primary voters would vote for Vance, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Marco Rubio tied at 11 percent.
If the 2028 Republican Primary Election were held today who would you vote for?
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) August 12, 2025
REPUBLICAN VOTERS ONLY-
53% J.D. Vance 👈
11% Ron DeSantis 👈
11% Marco Rubio 👈
3% Glenn Youngkin
4% Ted Cruz
2% Tulsi Gabbard
1% Tim Scott
2% Rand Paul
5% Some other candidate
6% Not sure https://t.co/ulwmL0bmrV
The other candidates are all in the single-digit range, with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul at 5 percent, Texas Senator Ted Cruz at 4 percent, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin at 3 percent, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at 2 percent, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott at 2 percent. Fifteen percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for some other candidate, with 14 percent saying they are unsure.
The survey polled 1,182 likely voters on August 6th, 7th, and 10th.
The voters most likely to vote in the Republican primary are 65 or older, while people most likely to vote for the Vice President are in their 30s. Fifty-three percent of those who voted for President Trump in the last election say they will be voting for Vance in the GOP Primary.
President Trump was recently asked who would continue his legacy, and he has elected to keep his options open, not formally passing the duty on to his Vice President. While Vance is the favorite, the President has also suggested that his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is also someone he could see passing the torch to. He even floated the idea of a Vance-Rubio ticket, although he has appeared to stoke competition between the two men for who may be on top. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump once said in a private conversation, “I used to think it would be Vance-Rubio, but maybe it will be Rubio-Vance.”
Voters appear to favor Vance.