Turning Point USA Straw Poll: Conservatives Rally Behind Vice President JD Vance for 2028
Vice President JD Vance dominated Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 straw poll in Phoenix, receiving roughly 84.2% of attendee support in the Dec. 18–21 vote, an unprecedented margin and pledge of TPUSA organizational backing.
- Broad backing: Vance took an overwhelming plurality — reported as 84.2% by TPUSA — in the AmericaFest straw poll.
- Far ahead of rivals: Marco Rubio (about 4.8%) and Ron DeSantis (about 2.9%) trailed the field in the TPUSA tally.
- Organizational endorsement: TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk publicly endorsed Vance and pledged resources should he run.
- Reporting gaps: some large raw-vote threat tallies circulating after the event remain unverified in major outlets.
AmericaFest straw poll results and TPUSA endorsement
Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest — a major conservative gathering of student activists, donors and grassroots leaders — ran a straw poll of attendees Dec. 18–21 in Phoenix. According to TPUSA’s public statement and reporting by Fox News: Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ on JD Vance for 2028, Vice President JD Vance received around 84.2% of the straw-poll vote.
TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet described the numbers as showing a unified conservative base behind Vance. Event coverage also reported TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk used her AmericaFest address to endorse Vance and pledge organizational support should he run.
Comparisons and variations in the numbers
Not all outlets reported identical percentages. Some social posts and video clips from the event showed Vance at about 82.6%, while TPUSA’s official tally cited 84.2%. Local stations and conservative media noted Vance’s wide margin compared with other named figures such as Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis, and commentators pointed out that Vance’s margin outpaced past AmericaFest straw-poll winners.
What attendees said were America’s top threats — and reporting gaps
Coverage included attendee questions about the nation’s biggest threats, but reporting varies. Fox News listed voter integrity/voter ID (9.3%) and affordability (8.1%) among top attendee concerns. Other widely distributed figures — e.g., raw tallies like 31,008 for “radical Islam” or 30,387 for “socialism/Marxism” — do not appear in major reports and are not independently verified.
Reporting note: the specific large raw-vote totals attributed to threat categories circulated in some clips and write-ups but are identified here as unconfirmed until TPUSA or another primary source publishes detailed poll data.
Additional context and other polls
Outside AmericaFest, other conservative polling and analyst summaries showed Vance performing strongly in hypothetical GOP-primary matchups. An AtlasIntel poll from December 2025 (reported in aggregated event coverage) placed Vance ahead in a hypothetical primary with about 47%, Rubio at 23% and DeSantis at 13% — evidence of momentum beyond a single event, though national and state-level polls vary. See aggregated coverage via Aggregated event coverage mentioning TPUSA endorsement and AtlasIntel polling.
Vance’s public posture and next steps
Vance has not publicly committed to a 2028 presidential bid. Reporting from event coverage and interviews indicates he remains focused on the 2026 midterm cycle and would consult with President Trump and close advisers about any presidential plans after midterms. A person close to Vance said he appreciated TPUSA’s support but is concentrating on current duties.
Implications for Huntington Beach, California
TPUSA’s endorsement and AmericaFest momentum are likely to influence local conservative organizing, messaging and races in Huntington Beach. Below are practical areas of impact local leaders and residents may observe.
Economic and political organizing
- Increased outreach: Expect more campaign events, door-knocking and local donor activity as conservative groups respond to AmericaFest momentum.
- Volunteer flows: TPUSA may channel volunteers into early-state campaigning, which can affect down-ballot and municipal contests, even in reliably Democratic statewide contexts.
Local message priorities
The straw poll shows conservative attendees prioritizing issues such as voter integrity, affordability and immigration. Huntington Beach activists skeptical of federal migration policy or concerned about cost-of-living trends may find Vance’s themes resonate in school board races, city meetings and voter drives.
2024–2026 knock-on effects
If TPUSA channels resources into early-state campaigning, local Republican groups could amplify conservative turnout and messaging on law-and-order, public safety and affordability — potentially reshaping outcomes in municipal and down-ballot contests.
Community and cultural conversations
Vance’s national profile and TPUSA endorsement are likely to elevate debates over campus free speech, parental rights and local control. Conservative activists following AmericaFest may push for more engagement on those issues at the local level.
Electoral math and local GOP strategy
An early coalescence around a single presidential figure can simplify primary planning for Huntington Beach Republicans — enabling faster consolidation of endorsements, fundraising and voter outreach, or provoking intra-conservative debates over alternatives.
Security and migration messaging
The unverified large tallies on “radical Islam,” migration and socialism circulating after AmericaFest illustrate how charged national-threat discussions can become. Local officials and candidates may emphasize tougher border and public-safety policies in response, even as major outlets did not corroborate those raw-vote tallies.
Sourcing and verification note
This article relies on TPUSA statements and coverage by national and local outlets. Primary sources for the straw poll results include TPUSA releases, Fox News: Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ on JD Vance for 2028, and local station reports. Some aggregated write-ups referenced AtlasIntel data; where raw vote totals for threat categories appeared in secondary claims, major outlets did not corroborate them and those figures are labeled unverified here.
Sources and further reading
- Fox News: Turning Point poll reveals conservatives ‘all in’ on JD Vance for 2028
- CBS Austin report on AmericaFest straw poll
- KTXS coverage of the straw poll
- KFOX report on AmericaFest poll
- Aggregated event coverage mentioning TPUSA endorsement and AtlasIntel polling
- Event video and social snippets referenced in coverage
Reporting based on Turning Point USA materials and media coverage cited above. Some claimed raw vote totals for threat categories circulating after the event were not verifiable in public reporting and are identified in this article as unconfirmed.
