JD Vance leads CPAC poll for next Republican presidential candidate
The Guardian • • nation
Key Points:
- A CPAC poll of over 1,600 attendees showed Vice President JD Vance as the top choice for the next Republican presidential candidate, receiving 53% of the vote, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in second place at 35%.
- CPAC, a major annual conservative event hosted by the American Conservative Union in Grapevine, Texas, provides insight into right-wing perspectives but its straw poll is not a definitive predictor of the Republican nominee.
- Despite Vance’s lead, divisions remain within the conservative movement due to controversies like the Epstein files and ongoing US and Israel conflicts with Iran, leading some prominent MAGA supporters, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, to break away.
- Compared to last year’s CPAC poll where Vance led with 61% and Rubio had only 3%, Rubio’s rise to 35% reflects his growing influence in US foreign policy and connections with far-right international leaders.
- The poll also indicates continued support among CPAC participants for Donald Trump’s administration, although internal rifts and shifting loyalties persist within the GOP base.
