J.D. Vance tops the straw poll
Vice President J.D. Vance emerged as the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in a recent straw poll held at the National Pro-Life Summit, reinforcing his position as a frontrunner for the 2028 election.
According to Students for Life Action, Mr. Vance was favored by pro-life youth voters during Saturday’s polling event, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and House Speaker Mike Johnson following behind.
Attendees also speculated that California Governor Gavin Newsom would likely secure the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York.
Abortion emerged as the primary concern among summit participants; 51% identified it as their top issue, while 34% ranked it among their top two priorities.
“The dedicated grassroots of GOP activists – Pro-Life, Youth Voters – pick Vice President JD Vance as their top GOP Presidential Contender … and flag CA Gov. Gavin Newsom as the possible leader of the Democratic Party,” stated Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life Action. “Legislators take note: the campaign season has begun.”
Mr. Vance may have had an advantage with pro-life voters due to his keynote address at the National March for Life just a day before the summit.
The vice president has consistently ranked at the top in various pre-2028 election polls among Republican candidates.
In last month’s Turning Point USA’s America2025 straw poll, he garnered an impressive 82.6% of votes, significantly outdistancing Mr. DeSantis who received only 7.6%.
The RealClearPolitics average indicates Mr. Vance is leading potential Republican contenders with 48.8%, far ahead of Donald Trump Jr.’s 11%, Marco Rubio’s 9.3%, and Ron DeSantis’ 9%.
Aged 41, Mr. Vance was serving his first term as a Republican senator from Ohio when he was selected by Donald Trump to be his running mate on the 2024 presidential ticket.
