Secretary of State Marco Rubio has opened a commanding lead over Vice President JD Vance as Republicans’ preferred candidate for 2028, according to a new poll, which is bound to intensify speculation around President Donald Trump’s preferred successors. An AtlasIntel survey conducted in early May found that 45.4 percent of GOP respondents would back Rubio in a primary contest, highlighting his rise to prominence during the second Trump administration. Vance, who had outpaced Rubio in earlier polling, placed second with 29.6 percent. Other potential contenders lagged much further behind, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 11.2 percent, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy at 1.4 percent, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott at 0.7 percent. The former Florida senator also outperformed the vice president in terms of overall public perception. Among all respondents, 51 percent viewed Rubio unfavorably, while 46 percent held a positive opinion.…