Vance hints at 2028 run, but says it will not be ‘given’ to him

We have not yet started the 2026 midterm election cycle, but there is already a lot of buzz surrounding the 2028 presidential election.

There are a lot of power moves being made in the Democrat Party, and the general consensus is that regardless of how this administration turns out, Vice President JD Vacne will easily win the nod in the GOP.

Vance, however, says not so fast.

Democrat Primary Polling

Once the 2024 cycle wrapped up, polls were immediately taken for the leading Democrat candidate for the 2028 race.

As expected, Harris led the polling, and she had a considerable lead.

Harris, however, all but disappeared, then she announced that she would not be running for California Governor.

Between that and all those moves Governor Gavin Newsom has made against Trump, he has roared to the front of the pack, leading a recent California poll as well as the most recent YouGov national poll. Harris is still very much in the picture, but it is Newsom who has all the momentum.

GOP Primary Polling

On the other side of the aisle, it has never been close.

After Vance was named as the VP, he was immediately installed as the favorite to win the 2028 nomination by Republicans.

His lead is as little as 30 points and often shows up as more than 40 points against everyone else being considered.

While some believe that Governor DeSantis could still be in the picture, politically speaking, I believe it would be a mistake for him to run in 2028 regardless of how the current administration turns out. I think his only hope of winning the nomination would be for Vance to lose in 2028. If Vance gets the nod and wins the election, in terms of a White House bid, DeSantis' political career is over (I still believe he could return for a seat in the House or Senate).

No Gimme

Vance is very good in the media, and he is playing his hand perfectly in terms of being modest regarding a 2028 nod.

During a recent appearance on Lara Trump’s “My View,” Vance played down his anointment as the heir apparent to MAGA. He stated, "If we do a good job in 2025 and 2026, then we can talk about the politics in 2027. I really think the American people are so fed up with folks who are already running for the next job, seven months into the current one."

He continued, "There are a lot of great people. If I do end up running, it's not going to be given to me—either on the Republican side or on the national side. I'm just going to keep on working hard.… [This] may be the most important job I ever had, outside of being a father to those three beautiful kids. So I'm going to try to do my best job, and I think if I do that, the politics will figure itself out."

Vance is going to run, unless this administration is a complete and utter disaster. If he runs, he will easily win, getting the endorsement of Donald Trump. The general election, however, will be tight, and much of how that plays out will depend on whether Republicans can hold the House or not in 2026.