Voters have a more favorable view of Secretary of State Marco Rubio now than they did a year ago. While Vice President JD Vance won the CPAC straw poll, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey shows Secretary of State Marco Rubio rising in the estimation of voters.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters view Rubio favorably – up from 45% in April 2025 – including 25% with a Very Favorable impression of the Secretary of State. Thirty-six percent (36%) now view Rubio unfavorably, including 23% with a Very Unfavorable opinion. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.
The many tasks assigned to him in President Donald Trump’s administration have made Rubio the subject of humorous memes. Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters believe Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State. Thirty-five percent (35%) think he’s doing a worse job than most of his predecessors, and 18% say his performance is about the same. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.
While 59% of Republicans believe Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State, that belief is shared by only 21% of Democrats and 29% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats, 17% of Republicans and 35% of unaffiliated voters think Rubio is doing a worse job than most of his predecessors.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of Republicans, 32% of Democrats and 37% of unaffiliated voters view Rubio at least somewhat favorably.
More men (51%) than women voters (44%) have a favorable impression of Rubio, and men are also more likely to say Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State.
Rubio is viewed at least somewhat favorably by 44% of both whites and black voters, 64% of Hispanics and 52% of other minorities. Hispanics are most likely to believe Rubio is doing a better job than most of his predecessors at the State Department.
Voters in their 30s are most likely to have a favorable impression of Rubio, while those 65 and older are more sharply divided in terms of whether Rubio is doing better than most previous secretaries of State.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of self-identified conservative voters have a favorable impression of Rubio, while 73% of liberals view him unfavorably. Among moderate voters, Rubio is viewed favorably by 36% and unfavorably by 45%.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year are most likely to have a favorable opinion of Rubio.
Among those who voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, 77% have a favorable impression of Rubio, who is viewed unfavorably by 63% of Kamala Harris voters.
The survey of 1,092 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on March 16-18, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 47% of Likely U.S. Voters view Rubio favorably – up from 45% in April 2025 – including 25% with a Very Favorable impression of the Secretary of State. Thirty-six percent (36%) now view Rubio unfavorably, including 23% with a Very Unfavorable opinion. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.
The many tasks assigned to him in President Donald Trump’s administration have made Rubio the subject of humorous memes. Thirty-six percent (36%) of voters believe Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State. Thirty-five percent (35%) think he’s doing a worse job than most of his predecessors, and 18% say his performance is about the same. Twelve percent (12%) are not sure.
While 59% of Republicans believe Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State, that belief is shared by only 21% of Democrats and 29% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats, 17% of Republicans and 35% of unaffiliated voters think Rubio is doing a worse job than most of his predecessors.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of Republicans, 32% of Democrats and 37% of unaffiliated voters view Rubio at least somewhat favorably.
More men (51%) than women voters (44%) have a favorable impression of Rubio, and men are also more likely to say Rubio is doing a better job than most previous secretaries of State.
Rubio is viewed at least somewhat favorably by 44% of both whites and black voters, 64% of Hispanics and 52% of other minorities. Hispanics are most likely to believe Rubio is doing a better job than most of his predecessors at the State Department.
Voters in their 30s are most likely to have a favorable impression of Rubio, while those 65 and older are more sharply divided in terms of whether Rubio is doing better than most previous secretaries of State.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of self-identified conservative voters have a favorable impression of Rubio, while 73% of liberals view him unfavorably. Among moderate voters, Rubio is viewed favorably by 36% and unfavorably by 45%.
Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters earning between $50,000 and $100,000 a year are most likely to have a favorable opinion of Rubio.
Among those who voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, 77% have a favorable impression of Rubio, who is viewed unfavorably by 63% of Kamala Harris voters.
The survey of 1,092 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on March 16-18, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. To see survey question wording, click here.
