CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten says Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has emerged as the clear favorite among Republican voters to be the party’s 2028 presidential nominee — second only to President Trump himself.
“Marco Rubio is really, really, really popular with Republicans,” Enten said Wednesday on CNN’s News Central. “His chances to be the Republican nominee in 2028 are up like a rocket taking off from Cape Canaveral.”
CNN's Harry Enten on Marco Rubio's 2028 odds to be the GOP presidential nominee:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 27, 2026
"It was just 11% back at the beginning of this year. It's up now to a 30% chance."
With a +77 NET approval rating from the GOP, "Marco Rubio, simply put, is the most popular Republican in the… pic.twitter.com/3pTqkNQdIQ
Enten pointed to political betting market Kalshi, where Rubio’s odds of winning the GOP nomination have surged from 11% in January to 30% today. “All of a sudden, the people putting their money where their mouths are are really liking Rubio’s chances,” he told anchor John Berman.Rubio currently holds the highest net approval rating of any member of Trump’s administration besides the president, at +77 points according to Quinnipiac polling.
By comparison, Vice President JD Vance sits at +69, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at +63, and FBI Director Kash Patel at +49.
Enten added: “Marco Rubio is, simply put, the most popular Republican in the Trump Administration besides the president himself, and also, if you zone in a little bit more, of the cabinet itself.”
Trump has publicly floated both Rubio and Vance as potential successors, at one point joking that the two would make a strong ticket together. However, current polling and betting markets indicate Republican voters are coalescing strongly behind Rubio.