Vance dominates GOP primary against possible challengers: Poll

The vice president earned his strongest support among voters aged 65 and over, 47% of whom backed him.

By Ben Whedon

Published: April 13, 2026 11:07am

Vice President JD Vance is the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2028, a recent survey has revealed.

Vance attracted 43% support in the latest Yale Youth Poll, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who earned 17% among registered voters. Donald Trump Jr. placed third with 9% while Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., earned 6%. All other candidates earned less than 5% support.

The vice president earned his strongest support among voters aged 65 and over, 47% of whom backed him. He enjoyed his strongest lead, however, with voters aged 45-64, where he led by 31% over Rubio.

The survey also asked voters to rank whom they believed to be most likely to win the general election if nominated. In that metric, Vance led with 83% of Republicans saying he would win if he was the party nominee. Rubio placed second with 77% while 74% said DeSantis would win the race.

Conducted March 9-23, the survey questioned 3,429 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 1.5%.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.