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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a roundtable on the American mining industry with President Donald Trump at the U.S. Department of State on Aug. 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a roundtable on the American mining industry with President Donald Trump at the U.S. Department of State on Aug. 7, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Eric Lee / Getty Images)

WJ Straw Poll: Rubio Remains the Man to Beat as Thomas Massie Gains Ground

 By Johnathan Jones  August 10, 2026 at 8:41am

Secretary of State Marco Rubio remained firmly in first place in the latest Western Journal weekly presidential straw poll, holding a wide lead over the rest of the Republican field despite a slight dip in support.

Rubio received 43.3 percent of respondents who participated in our weekly straw poll during the week of Aug. 3-9.

That was down 0.2 percentage points from the previous week and well short of the 50.3 percent support he hauled in just weeks ago.

Vice President J.D. Vance finished second with 24.4 percent, and his support also slipped moderately.

Vance was down 0.9 percentage points from the July 27-Aug. 2 poll.

Did you participate in this past week's Western Journal Straw Poll?

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, posted the biggest gain among the leading candidates this past week.

He climbed to 16.6 percent, an increase of 3.1 percentage points from the previous week.

President Donald Trump came in fourth at 8.9 percent, despite not running again and being term-limited.

His support dropped 2.8 points this past week, yet the sitting president remained the favored candidate for many.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in fifth at 6.4 percent, gaining 0.6 percent support from the week before.

All other candidates combined to receive 2.8 percent of the vote.

Candidates receiving less than 2 percent are grouped into the "Other" category in the Western Journal's weekly Straw Poll.

The numbers leave Rubio with a commanding lead as the former longtime Republican lawmaker continues to make an impact on voters as one of the most prominent faces of the Trump administration.

Vance, who has previously posted first place in the weekly survey numerous times, has plenty of time to make up ground with Trump's current term hitting its halfway mark in the coming months.

Trump has not indicated who he would support as his successor, but the first primary voters will start heading to the polls in about 16 months, which is both hard to believe and right around the corner.

The Western Journal Straw Poll is a non-scientific survey intended to track and gauge the support of potential 2028 candidates until voters have a chance to decide the future of the conservative movement.

You can participate in this week's survey by clicking here.

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