by Ben Whedon
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears to fare better against possible Democratic presidential candidates than does Vice President JD Vance, a recent survey has found.
The latest Emerson College survey tested several hypothetical presidential races, pitting Vance and Rubio against Democratic heavyweights, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., former Vice President Kamala Harris, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Against Buttigieg, Vance and Rubio both earned 44% support to Buttigieg’s 49%. Both Republicans earned the same level of support against Ossoff, though the Democrat earned 49% support against Vance and only 47% against Rubio. A Vance vs. Harris match saw him earn 45% to her 49%, while Rubio vs. Harris was 48% to 43%, respectively.
Rubio managed to handily defeat AOC, earning 48% support to her 43%. Vance, meanwhile, still outperformed her, but by a narrower, 46% to 44% margin.
In addition to this, the survey found President Donald Trump has a 40% approval rating.
“President Trump’s job approval has been relatively steady in the past several months, with about 2 in 5 likely voters approving of the President, driven by consistent ratings among Republicans, 86% of whom approve of the president,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “A majority of voters, 56%, disapprove of the job Trump is doing, including 66% of independents and 92% of Democrats. Men are now split: 48% approve and disapprove of the president, while women disapprove by a 30-point margin, 62% to 32%.”
The survey’s margin of error of +/- 3% means that the difference in performance between the two Republicans is still statistically comparable.
The results come as Republicans gear up for the 2028 presidential election, with Vance as the presumptive frontrunner. Speculation has abounded that Rubio could take the top of the ticket, but the pair seem to have a strong relationship and neither have actually announced their intent to run for the office.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
