Rubio is ahead of Vance in the race for Trump's voters

In the United States, political processes are effectively already beginning to extend beyond the current election cycle, and influential evangelical Christians, who traditionally play a key role in supporting the Republican Party, are already eyeing candidates for the 2028 presidential election.

According to Politico, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio currently enjoys the most support among religious conservatives; some influential evangelicals view him as a politician capable of uniting both MAGA supporters and traditional Republicans, making him a more versatile figure for the future.

At the same time, Vice President J.D. Vance also remains in the spotlight, especially among younger conservative voters; however, experts note that his name recognition among evangelical communities still lags behind Rubio’s. “Marco Rubio is much better known to American evangelicals than J.D. Vance,” said Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, emphasizing that the level of trust in the politician could be the deciding factor.

According to representatives of conservative circles, evangelicals remain one of the most influential voting blocs in the U.S., as in the 2024 election, approximately 82% of white evangelical Protestants supported Donald Trump, and their stance could continue to determine the outcome of the Republican primaries. “There is no path to the nomination that does not go through the Evangelical Election Commission,” said Ralph Reed, president of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, emphasizing their political clout.

At the same time, analysts note that Marco Rubio has longstanding ties to evangelical circles and has been actively working with religious conservatives since the 2016 presidential campaign, which is now giving him an advantage in this internal political competition.