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Turning Point USA’s annual AmericaFest straw poll has taken a long, hard look at the 2028 presidential election, and only one Republican leader overwhelmingly won the hearts of attendees: Vice President J.D. Vance.
By a whopping 84 percent, the vice president was favored to be the next 2028 Republican presidential nominee. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held 5 percent of the vote, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) garnered 3 percent.
Blake Neff, a producer for “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said Vance’s margin of victory in their straw poll was bigger than President Trump’s straw poll win in 2023.
This comes as little surprise to those who are familiar with the TPUSA platform. Just days ago, Erika Kirk, the widow of the late TPUSA President and Founder Charlie Kirk, openly endorsed VP Vance ahead of a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
Ensuring the vice president’s ascendance to the Oval Office in 2028 was a primary goal for Charlie Kirk, according to those closest to him.
“The Biggest Singular Professional Goal that Charlie Kirk had was to ensure we get JD Vance elected in 2028,” said Turning Point COO Tyler Bowyer last month. “Every decision and priority comes from that goal. He would be all over anyone trying to derail or fracture support for that objective.”
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet also told Fox News this week that the organization is “all in” when it comes to supporting Vice President Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028.
“Charlie considered him a generational talent, and somebody that could lead this nation forward,” Kolvet said. “We’re very happy for the here and now, so we’re going to kind of let the next year play out, but heading into 2028, we’re excited to get behind him, and the machine that Charlie built and that’s still in place at Turning Point is going to be all in for the vice president.”