Secretary of State Marco Rubio has overtaken Vice President JD Vance as the top choice for the Republican Party's 2028 presidential nomination, according to a fresh national poll by AtlasIntel.

Conducted May 4-7, the survey found Rubio drawing 45.4% support from Republicans.

Vance trails at 29.6%, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in third at 11.2%.

Meanwhile, 10.3% of respondents said they would back none of the candidates listed, which included Vivek Ramaswamy, Greg Abbott, Tim Scott, Brian Kemp, and Donald Trump Jr.

This is a notable shift from a December poll, where Vance commanded 46.7% and Rubio lagged at 22.6%.

Rubio's Rise Comes Amid High-Profile Diplomatic Push

Rubio's recent profile boost stems from key diplomatic moves, including talks on the Ukraine war, fresh sanctions against Cuba, and steering U.S. strategy with Iran amid Operation Project Freedom blockades.

"Who likes JD Vance? Who likes Marco Rubio? It sounds like a dream team to me!" President Donald Trump remarked at a White House Rose Garden event on Monday, adding fuel to Rubio's ascent.

Though Rubio dominates the early primary field, his broader appeal faces challenges, with a 46% favorable and 51% unfavorable rating among all Americans.

AtlasIntel earned top marks for accuracy in the 2020 and 2024 U.S. election cycles.

Most Respondents Reject U.S. Strikes on Iran in Operation Epic Fury

The same poll probed views on U.S. strikes against Iran launched February 28 as part of Operation Epic Fury.

Some 59.2% opposed the strikes, compared to 38.9% in favor.

However, 45.6% saw the death of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as positive, versus 15.5% negative; 31.8% called it neutral, and 7.1% were unsure.

A solid 67.8% believed the strikes heighten risks of terror attacks on U.S. citizens, while just 11.5% thought they reduced the threat.

Over half, 58.5%, said the action ramps up Iran's drive for nuclear weapons, against 18% who saw a decrease and 13% no change.

Regarding Iran's nuclear capacity, 33.8% reported no impact, 27.6% significant compromise, 21.7% some compromise, and 8.6% total elimination; only 3.7% believed it enhanced capabilities.

More than half, 55.3%, attributed "a lot" of influence to Israel on the strike decision, with another 13.9% saying "quite a bit." In contrast, 23.9% saw "not that much" influence, and 4.8% none at all.