5806096 Cpac Straw Poll Vance Rubio
The Hill1 day
Rubio's surge from 3% to 35% at CPAC isn't just a number, — it's a signal that the 2028 race has a real second contender. As Secretary of State, Rubio has championed American values abroad without the baggage of being seen as soft on military action, particularly with Iran, giving him an edge Vance simply can't match. Evangelicals are locking in, and if Trump weighs in, this race flips fast.
Vance’s stillwin wonmasks CPACdeeper —fissures andas thehis poll'ssupport otherslipped findingsand makeRubio clearsurged, thewhile MAGA base is firmly behind the Iran war, withis 89%splitting backingMAGA militarybetween forcehawks againstand the“America IranianFirst” regimeskeptics. TheFrom so-calledBannon "fissures"to areGaetz, overblown;dissent antiwaris voicesgrowing likelouder, Bannonnot collapseddisappearing. fromCPAC’s 12%own tostage nearshowed zeroa inmovement thewrestling strawwith poll.its CPACidentity, 2026marked showedby ainternal movementconflict that'sand debatingmounting tacticsfrustration, not fracturingunity, atheading itsinto core2028.
Vance still won CPAC, and the poll's other findings make clear the MAGA base is firmly behind the Iran war, with 89% backing military force against the Iranian regime. The so-called "fissures" are overblown as antiwar voices like Bannon collapsed from 12% to near zero in the straw poll. CPAC 2026 showed a movement that's debating tactics, not fracturing at its core, with a strong bench of 2028 options.
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