Vance Dominates 2028 GOP Poll; Florida's Rubio, DeSantis Falter With Young Voters

Vice President JD Vance holds a commanding lead over Florida's two most prominent national Republicans in early 2028 presidential polling, a new survey shows — and for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gov. Ron DeSantis, the numbers most worth watching may be the ones among the youngest voters.

A YouGov poll conducted April 8-13 found Vance drawing 36 percent support among Republican respondents, with Rubio and Donald Trump Jr. each at 13 percent and DeSantis at 6 percent. The gulf widens sharply with voters under 30: just 1 percent of that cohort backs Rubio; 3 percent backs DeSantis.

For Treasure Coast voters who have followed both men closely — Rubio as Florida's senior senator before his Cabinet elevation, DeSantis as the governor who has shaped state policy from Tallahassee to the Everglades — the generational divide offers a telling early signal about the shape of any future campaign.

Rubio's strongest ground is with senior citizens, where 20 percent back him, but he clusters in the mid-teens across every other age bracket. DeSantis draws his best showing, 8 percent, from voters between 45 and 64, and performs somewhat better in the Midwest — 10 percent — where he marginally edges Rubio's 9 percent in the region.

DeSantis also trails among Hispanic respondents, pulling just 3 percent — half the support recorded for former Vice President Mike Pence in the same survey.

With his final gubernatorial term winding down, DeSantis has declined to make firm commitments either way. "Doing things nationally, all this other stuff — you know, who knows? Things change so fast in this day and age," he said last month. "Two months ago seems like a lifetime ago."

Rubio, now managing U.S. foreign policy at Foggy Bottom, continues to field 2028 questions as well. President Trump views either Vance or Rubio as a preferred successor, though no preference has been formalized, reports indicate.

For Martin and St. Lucie county Republicans — a reliable base for both men in past cycles — the next meaningful test will come in early-state polling once the 2026 midterms sharpen the field.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.