A curious split has emerged among young conservatives at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas. Some younger GOP activists openly oppose the administration's military action against Iran - yet say they prefer its most prominent hawk, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to Vice President JD Vance, who once loudly opposed new foreign conflicts.
The contradiction captures a broader tension inside the Republican base, "Hvylya" notes, citing CNN. Vance's silence on the decision to strike Iran and kill top regime officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has left some supporters uncertain about his actual position. Rubio, by contrast, has leaned into his role as the administration's chief diplomat and does not pretend to be anything other than a foreign policy hawk.
"I may disagree with him on something like the Iran war and how he's spoken about that, but then I can agree with him on some other policies," said Luke Rosati, a student at Xavier University. "I hate seeing the president and vice president run. I want someone new and different," he added.
The sentiment is not universal. Vance won the CPAC straw poll with 53%, far ahead of Rubio's 35%. But the fact that a segment of the GOP's anti-interventionist wing gravitates toward Rubio suggests the 2028 primary could scramble traditional hawk-versus-dove lines within the party.
Vance has dismissed 2028 speculation, while Rubio has said he would support the vice president if Vance runs. Neither spoke at the conference this year, and Trump himself skipped the gathering for the first time in a decade - leaving the GOP's future direction an open question that activists are already answering for themselves.