Despite his influential online presence, Tucker Carlson is facing brutal polling numbers that suggest minimal enthusiasm among Republican voters for a potential 2028 presidential run. According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted November 6-9, just 13% of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters rated the former Fox News host as an “excellent” or “good” candidate for the GOP nomination.
The data places Carlson near the bottom of potential Republican contenders tested by Ipsos, with 43% of respondents calling him a “poor” candidate and another 15% rating him “only fair.” Perhaps most strikingly, 28% of those surveyed admitted they had never heard of Carlson—a surprising figure given his high-profile media career.
GOP’s 2028 Bench Leaves Carlson in the Dust
Carlson’s 13% combined favorable rating was less than half the support received by Donald Trump Jr. (29%) and dwarfed by leading Republicans eyeing 2028. Vice President JD Vance topped the field with 62% approval as a potential nominee, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 58% and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 52%.
The survey also revealed Carlson’s relative obscurity among Republican voters compared to other contenders. While 28% hadn’t heard of Carlson, just 8% were unfamiliar with Vance, 19% with Rubio, and 23% with DeSantis—demonstrating that social media clout doesn’t necessarily translate to broad voter recognition.
Mixed Signals for Other Potential Contenders
The poll showed uneven results for other Republican figures. Senator Ted Cruz received a combined 35% excellent-or-good rating, while former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley got 20%. Senator Tim Scott received 23%, though half of respondents didn’t recognize him. Former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp both landed at just 13% and 12% respectively, with 59% unfamiliar with each.
Even Trump Jr., who outperformed Carlson, faced skepticism—43% rated him a poor candidate despite his 29% strong support. Twenty percent considered him “only fair.”
GOP Voters Divided on Trump’s Legacy
The survey also uncovered Republican voters’ ambivalence about replicating Trump’s governing style in 2028. Overall, 52% preferred a different approach from the next nominee, while 46% wanted continuity—a near-even split that masks sharper divisions between party factions.
Among Republican-leaning independents, 65% favored a different approach compared to 35% who wanted Trump-style leadership. Self-identified Republicans leaned the opposite way: 53% preferred continuity with Trump’s methods, while 45% sought change.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey sampled 1,705 U.S. adults from November 6-9 using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel, with the 2028 candidate questions posed to 689 Republican and Republican-leaning respondents.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlsons-2028-poll-flop-comes-with-a-brutal-punchline