Sen. JD Vance cemented his status as the favorite to become Donald Trump’s running mate on Sunday, coming first in a poll of attendees at the Turning Point Action People’s Convention in Detroit.
Trump’s election is the subject of fervent speculation and the grassroots expressed their opinion with a poll conducted during the three-day activist meeting.
When 1,986 people at the Detroit event were asked who they preferred between Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Sens. Marco Rubio and Tim Scott, about 43 percent said they preferred the Ohio senator.
Scott came in a distant second with 15.4 percent, Rubio came in third with 7.7 percent and Burgum, who Trump has talked about especially in recent weeks, took 7 percent.
The survey was conducted by Big Data Poll for Turning Point Action, the grassroots movement founded by Charlie Kirk.
Sen. JD Vance of Ohio cemented his status as the favorite to be Donald Trump’s vice president with a new poll that found 43 percent of Turning Point Action People’s Convention attendees wanted him for the job.
Kirk said Vance was the clear winner.
“He has always been one of President Trump’s most capable and articulate defenders and surrogates and speaks directly to the Midwestern Americans who attended our Detroit conference,” he told DailyMail.com.
‘These are precisely the blue wall voters we need to win in November to take back the White House. “His message and appeal clearly resonate with this critical voting bloc.”
Insiders say Trump has narrowed his choice to Vance, Scott, Rubio or Burgum, although he has been known to change his mind or throw curveballs to keep people guessing.
Vance has become one of Trump’s most visible cheerleaders since he was elected to the Senate and can count on his friendship with the former president’s eldest son, Don Jr., to help his case.
He rose to fame with his 2016 memoir, ‘Hillbilly Elegy.’ His story of living in poverty and observations of addiction in Appalachia became a ‘Rosetta stone’ for understanding life in forgotten parts of America and Trump’s corresponding popularity.
However, he was an outspoken critic of Trump before becoming one of his closest allies, endorsing the former president early in the 2024 nomination race.
Vance closed the Turning Point Action meeting in Detroit on Sunday afternoon. An audience member asked him what a vice president should do to advance Trump’s agenda.
Show loyalty, he responded, without getting carried away by his own possibilities.
Former President Donald Trump spent Saturday in the key state of Michigan, where he addressed the Turning Point Action People’s Convention in the evening.
Trump received an enthusiastic reception from his supporters, as fireworks lit up the room.
‘There are a lot of good, smart people that Trump is looking at, but this also applies to our senators. It also applies to our congressmen and women,” he stated.
“We need to have people who support Trump and not try to stab him in the back. It’s very, very simple.
Last time around, Trump picked Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as a figure who could help win over evangelical Christians who were wary of voting for a trash-talking, thrice-married New York businessman.
This time, however, Trump has made it known that he believes voters will only look to the top of the ballot, allowing him to elect a loyal supporter who will defend him in a crisis.
Turning Point has become a major force in the MAGA movement and has become increasingly influential in Republican politics under Trump.
Attendees were also asked about the Republican Party’s leadership in Congress and their attitudes on political issues.
They generally said they disapproved of Rep. Mike Johnson’s performance as House Speaker. About 35.4 percent said they disapproved “strongly” and 23.2 percent said they disapproved “somewhat.”
In contrast, only 7.9 percent said they “strongly approved” and 23.6 percent said they “somewhat” approved.
Turning Point has emerged as a major force in the MAGA movement and has become increasingly influential in Republican politics under Trump.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point Action, said Vance was the clear winner.
Attendees’ Trumpist instincts were clearly on display when they were asked about Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader who has repeatedly clashed with the former president.
Nearly 80 percent said they “strongly disapproved” of his performance.
And a whopping 93.7 percent said they opposed sending more aid to Ukraine.
But it’s VP’s results that will dominate the headlines. For his part, Kirk has made it no secret that he believes Vance would be the best choice for vice president.
“He’s young,” he told DailyMail.com before the results were published. ‘He has an incredible family and he is the only veteran being considered among the finalists.
“But more importantly, he is an incredibly popular and successful politician from the region of the world where Donald Trump needs to win, which is the Rust Belt.”
There could still be surprises ahead.
On Saturday afternoon, Trump was introduced by Florida Rep. Byron Donalds at a black church in an underserved corner of Detroit.
‘By the way, he’s on the list and I don’t know if he’ll make it, but he… he’s on some people’s list, right?’ Trump told the crowd before turning to Donalds.
‘Would you like to be vice president?’