Turning Point USA Straw Poll: Conservatives “All In” for VP JD Vance at AmericaFest 2025
Vice President JD Vance dominated Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025 straw poll in Phoenix, with attendees overwhelmingly choosing him as their 2028 GOP favorite—an early sign of strong conservative activist support heading into the next election cycle.
- Massive lead: TPUSA’s straw poll reported 84.2% for Vice President JD Vance, a record-high for the event’s poll.
- Other names lagging: Marco Rubio (~4.8%), Ron DeSantis (~2.9%); some tallies listed Vivek Ramaswamy near 5.8% and scattered mentions for Trump Jr., Cruz and Youngkin.
- Top attendee concerns: “Radical Islam” (31,008), socialism/Marxism (30,387), mass migration (28,223) and economy/affordability (27,315).
- Organizational backing: TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk pledged resources and an endorsement push for Vance at AmericaFest.
What the AmericaFest straw poll showed
Turning Point USA ran its straw poll during AmericaFest 2025 (Dec. 18–21 in Phoenix). The organization reported that 84.2% of respondents—conference attendees and party activists—chose Vice President JD Vance as their preferred 2028 Republican nominee. TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet called the result the highest in the poll’s history and said it demonstrates conservatives are “all in” for Vance. Coverage cited by multiple outlets echoed the dominant showing.
Coverage examples include Fox News and compiled reporting from Times Media reporting. Some social posts and alternate tallies showed slight variances (one post cited 82.6%), but the official TPUSA materials and major reports list 84.2% as the headline number.
Who else was mentioned
Beyond Vance, a small handful of high-profile Republicans registered modest shares among activists: Marco Rubio (~4.8%) and Ron DeSantis (~2.9%). Some reports and alternate tallies listed Vivek Ramaswamy near 5.8%. Other prominent names—Donald Trump Jr., Ted Cruz, and Glenn Youngkin—appeared as scattered write-ins or nominal mentions. These results underscore how dominant Vance was among the AmericaFest crowd.
Local affiliate coverage includes CBS Austin, CBS4, and KFOX.
Top issues flagged by attendees
AmericaFest included questions about the greatest perceived threats to the country. The event tally placed:
- Radical Islam — ~31,008 responses
- Socialism/Marxism — ~30,387 responses
- Mass migration — ~28,223 responses
- Economy/affordability — ~27,315 responses
Media coverage noted similar “hot-button” priorities and also listed voter integrity, affordability, calls for mass deportations, and “deep state” concerns among other attendee answers. See reporting from Fox News for the event’s issue tallies.
Organizational backing and on-the-ground reaction
TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk (widow of founder Charlie Kirk) offered a major organizational endorsement for Vance at AmericaFest and said the group would devote resources to help elect him, describing Vance as a friend of Charlie Kirk. Video and event coverage circulated widely; an event video is available from TPUSA-related channels.
See the event video here: event video, and compiled reporting at Times Media reporting.
“All in” — Turning Point USA spokesman Andrew Kolvet on the record about the straw poll’s significance.
Methodology and limits of the straw poll
The TPUSA straw poll reflects the views of attendees at a conservative activist conference and is not a scientific national sample. Reporting emphasized the sample skews toward activists and likely overrepresents passionate supporters. Exact respondent totals and raw counts varied across outlets and were not independently confirmed.
Independent polling cited alongside the AmericaFest result included an AtlasIntel poll in December 2025 which placed Vance at about 47% in a hypothetical Republican primary — suggesting strength beyond the conference crowd but at smaller margins than the AmericaFest figure. See compiled reporting at Times Media reporting.
Implications for Redding, California
Local Republicans and conservative activists in Redding are likely to interpret the AmericaFest momentum as a positive sign for party unity behind a conservative nominee. Possible local impacts include:
- Campaign organizing: County GOP chapters may plan early outreach, host viewing events, and invite national surrogates—boosting volunteer activity ahead of 2026 and 2028.
- Fundraising and endorsements: TPUSA’s pledge of resources could shift donor flows and prompt local officials to consider public endorsements or alignments.
- Immigration and security focus: With mass migration and “radical Islam” high on attendee lists, local debates may intensify around enforcement, vetting, and law enforcement funding.
- Economic messaging: Economy and affordability remain salient; candidates that tie security themes to concrete cost-of-living proposals may perform better locally.
- Culture and civic issues: Emphasis on ideological threats (socialism/Marxism, “deep state”) could steer school-board and civic debates in Redding.
- Electoral strategy: Redding conservative campaigns may prioritize door-knocking and targeted messaging on immigration and law-and-order themes.
Reporting note: Residents should recognize that the Turning Point USA straw poll reflects activist sentiment at AmericaFest and is not a representative cross-section of all voters, though it signals influential network priorities that may shape local planning.
Sources and coverage
Major coverage and source material cited in reporting:
Note: All original facts, numbers and URLs are preserved from the cited reporting and compilations.
