Vice President J.D. Vance gestures while speaking with reporters Oct. 1 at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Evan Vucci / AP)
By Johnathan Jones October 7, 2025 at 1:26pm
The Western Journal asked readers the same question again this week: If the 2028 Republican primary were held today, who would you support?
The results reveal a widening gap between Vice President J.D. Vance and the rest of the GOP field.
Vance received 62.1 percent of the vote in this week’s straw poll.
That marks another increase from his 60.5 percent total in last week’s survey.
The continued rise shows his momentum is not slowing down, but rather, it’s accelerating.
President Donald Trump came in second this week with 12.2 percent of respondents’ support.
Submit a new vote each week at The Western Journal’s https://t.co/fZTPWZU7TY
This week’s key findings:
JD Vance: 62.1% (continued growth)
Donald Trump: 12.2% (slight increase)
Thomas Massie: 7.3% (slight increase)
Other: 6.8%
Other top names: Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis pic.twitter.com/YYQJH3Z4RP— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) October 7, 2025
That number represents a slight increase from 11.1 percent the week before. Both are a strong showing for a president limited to two terms, and whose jokes about a third term have had the left fuming all year.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also ticked up slightly to 7.3 percent this week compared to the 7.1 percent he received in last week’s straw poll.
Would you support Vance in a primary?
The “Other” category dropped to 6.8 percent from 8.8 percent this week.
That decline suggests conservatives are rallying behind the White House and a president and vice president who are doing what they promised on the campaign trail.
Among those other names that posted support this week was former Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who came in at 6.6 percent.
That figure is down from 7.9 percent in last week’s tally.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recorded a small gain from the previous week, moving from 4.6 percent to 5.0 percent.
Altogether, the numbers show that support for Vance continues to grow while others fluctuate modestly.
Crossing the 62 percent threshold puts Vance further ahead than ever before.
His lead is now more than 49 percentage points above Trump, the next closest contender.
But together, Vance and Trump took up three-quarters of the pie this week, according to our non-scientific poll.
The Western Journal straw poll continues to highlight that conservatives like what they’re seeing in Washington and want more of it after 2028.
If you would like to participate in this week’s straw poll, you can do so by clicking here.
Johnathan Jones is a journalist, novelist, and media analyst with experience as a reporter, editor, and producer across radio, television, and digital platforms. Follow him on X: @misterjkjones
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