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Republicans and Republican-leaning independents want Marco Rubio, not Ron DeSantis, as JD Vance's 2028 running mate, a new exclusive Daily Mail/YouGov poll reveals.
asserted
poll → sign → mate
The Secretary of State leads the field with 33 percent, a crushing 20 points ahead of the Florida governor, who takes just 13 percent.
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who → lead → percent
Among self-described MAGA supporters, Rubio's lead is even bigger: 45 percent want him on the ticket.
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percent → describe → ticket
Among those who are registered and say they will definitely vote, he takes 41 percent.
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he → register → percent
Just as many respondents, 34 percent, said they weren't sure who Vance should pick.
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Vance → say → who
The rest of the field barely registered.
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rest → register → field
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley drew five percent, while South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy tied on three percent each.
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Scott → draw → percent
Asked who they expect Vance to actually choose, all Americans surveyed again put Rubio first on 22 percent, with DeSantis a distant second on eight percent.
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DeSantis → ask → percent
Vance has not yet announced a 2028 bid.
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Vance → announce → bid
Rubio has publicly backed Vance as a potential 2028 presidential nominee, saying he would be the first to support his friend if he decided to run.
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he → back → friend
He has not, however, disclosed his future political ambitions
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He → disclose → ambitions
In July of 2023, DeSantis said on a podcast, 'I'm not a No. 2 guy.
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I → say → podcast
I think I'm a leader, 'adding that the vice presidency 'doesn't really have any authority'
DeSantis was once hailed as Donald Trump's natural heir, before his own 2024 White House run collapsed.
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run → think → heir
His second term as governor ends in January, leaving him free to plot his next move.
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term → end → move
It's unclear if he'd mount a challenge to Vance.
uncertain
he → mount → Vance
The running mate question was asked of 385 Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, part of a YouGov survey of 1,053 US adult citizens conducted October 2–5.
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question → ask → citizens
DeSantis, however, has spent years insisting he is nobody’s understudy.
‘I’m not a No. 2 guy.
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I → spend → years
I think I’m a leader,’ he told the Wisconsin Right Now podcast in July 2023, while battling Trump for the Republican nomination.
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he → think → nomination
The vice presidency, he scoffed, ‘doesn’t really have any authority.’
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he → scoff → authority
Months earlier, asked by Newsmax whether he would consider being Trump’s running mate, he said he was ‘probably more of an executive guy.’
And in November 2023 he was blunter still: ‘The only tickets that are in the future are with DeSantis at the top.
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that → ask → top
He quit the race in January 2024 and endorsed Trump.
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He → quit → Trump
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was equally dismissive of the prospect of becoming vice president, declaring in January 2024, 'I don't want to be anybody's vice president.
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I → become → January
While South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said in June 2024 that being selected as Trump's running mate would be a 'great honor,' he's also made clear that he has his sights set on the top job.
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sights → say → job
Right now, though, his priority is seeking re-election in 2028
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priority → seek → 2028
Back in 2024, former director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard argued that Florida Senator Marco Rubio would be a mistake because of his foreign policy positions
In January 2024, asked about joining Haley on a ticket, DeSantis said he would not take the job ‘under any circumstances.’
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he → argue → circumstances
He would ‘much rather do my final two years as governor than be vice president,’ he added.
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he → do → governor
Days later he quit the race and endorsed Trump.
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he → quit → Trump
Even then, he batted away talk of becoming Trump’s running mate.
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he → bat → mate
‘I’m not doing that,’ he told supporters.
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he → do → supporters
‘I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president.
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I → want → ?
That is off the table,’ she declared that same month, while still battling Trump for the nomination.
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she → declare → nomination
Tim Scott once sounded equally defiant.
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Scott → sound → ?
‘I did not enter this race to come in second place.
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I → enter → place
Second place is the first loser,’ he told Fox News during his 2023 White House run.
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he → tell → run
By June 2024 he had softened, calling the prospect of being Trump’s running mate a ‘great honor.’
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he → soften → prospect
For now, Scott appears focused on the Senate.
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Scott → appear → Senate
His campaign confirmed in March 2026 that he will seek re-election in 2028.
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he → confirm → 2028
During a campaign stop in Alaska last week, Vice President JD Vance again declined to commit to a 2028 run, telling Reuters, 'I'm inherently a procrastinator.
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I → decline → Reuters
I really haven't thought about it much'
Vance has also begun taking aim at potential rivals, recently accusing Texas Senator Ted Cruz of already running for president while insisting that he himself was concentrating on helping Republicans win in November
The prospect of a Vance presidency is already being openly discussed among Republicans, with Senator Jim Banks becoming the first sitting senator to endorse him in September
Vance insists his focus is on next month’s midterms, not the White House.
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focus → think → midterms
‘I’m inherently a procrastinator.
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I → ’m → ?
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
