'Rubio rising': Laura Loomer pegs Secretary of State as the next presidential candidate

Conservative commentator Laura Loomer hailed Secretary of State Marco Rubio's performance during his appearance before a Senate committee on President Donald Trump's foreign policy. As Rubio batted questions on a range of topics, starting from policy to Trump's fitness, Loomer called his responses "outstanding," claiming that he is set on the path to becoming the "president one day."

Over two days of testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and key appropriations panels, Rubio fiercely defended President Trump and his policies, answering questions from Ebola and Haiti to Iran and the future of foreign aid. At one point, the State Secretary was even pressed over Trump falling asleep during important meetings, a claim he fiercely dismissed. Reacting to his answer, Loomer took to X to praise Rubio. "Marco Rubio's performance today during the House Foreign Affairs Committee was outstanding," she wrote. "He's going to be President of the United States someday," she continued, adding that it will happen someday. "Mark my word. Rubio Rising."

Turns out Loomer isn't alone in backing Rubio for a potential Presidential run in 2028, as recent polls show him leading the race for candidacy. According to an Emerson College Polling, Rubio's support for a Republican presidential nomination grew from 9% last August to 35% this month, putting him neck to neck with Vice President J.D. Vance, who got 36% support. Rubio previously launched an unsuccessful presidential bid in the 2016 election, and has yet to comment on whether he plans to run for office in the future.

Even Trump suggested that Vance and Rubio would make a “dream team” for the role of president and vice president in the future race, without naming who would assume what role. Most recently, in an interview with The New York Post's 'Pod Force One',  Trump said, "I like them both," responding to a question about who should run, adding that he liked "them together."  So far, Vance and Rubio are the clear front-runners, with the next most popular Republicans being Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, notching just 5% support each in the poll.  

A separate poll conducted by AtlasIntel found Rubio leading the field of potential candidates with 45.4% of primary voters backing him. Here, Vance was in a distant second with 35%, and DeSantis was the third likely candidate. Vance, who once opposed Trump, has long been considered the heir, but his popularity has declined after he seemingly failed to deliver on his promise of starting no more wars. Vance told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday that he isn’t thinking about running in the 2028 elections, as he called Rubio a "very, very dear friend," Politico reported. On the Democratic side, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez surged to the top of the latest 2028 Democratic presidential primary poll from AtlasInel, for the first time. She got the backing of 26% Democratic voters to move ahead of former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.