Rubio tops Western Conservative Summit straw poll, eclipsing Vance

The Western Conservative Summit, hosted by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, conducted a nonpartisan straw poll with over 500 participants. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emerged as the clear front-runner, attaining 85% approval and 57% of votes for the top-choice question, far outpacing Vice President JD Vance, who recorded 71% approval and 21% as the preferred candidate. Governor Ron DeSantis received 55% approval, and no other Republican surpassed the 30% mark.

Democratic contenders fared poorly, with former Vice President Kamala Harris at 0%, Governor Gavin Newsom at 1%, and Governor Josh Shapiro at 3%; tech billionaire Elon Musk and commentator Tucker Carlson each garnered 5%. Greg Schaller, director of the Centennial Institute, described Rubio's performance as a strong grassroots validation of his commitment to faith, family, and freedom.