The 2026 midterm elections are only days away, now, as of this writing. While we're still wrapped up in these, the most consequential and the most hotly contested midterm elections in American history, it will be over soon, for better or for worse; and then, before the dust is settled, every political type and every politics-watcher's eye will turn towards the 2028 elections, most notably the presidential race, which may be even more consequential, and even more hotly contested.
Things in 2028 are bound to get just downright interesting, in the "ancient Chinese curse" sense. While speaking at a CBS town hall event on Saturday, the presumptive GOP heir to the Oval Office, Vice President JD Vance, didn't rule out the notion that he may decide not to run.
Despite leading early polls of potential 2028 Republican presidential candidates, Vice President JD Vance says "there's a chance" he won't enter the race.
Speaking during a CBS News town hall Saturday in Flat Rock, Michigan, Vance acknowledged that family considerations could influence whether he seeks to succeed President Donald Trump.
"Of course there's a chance," Vance said when asked whether he might sit out the 2028 presidential election.
"We've got four little kids, my wife has never loved politics. She loves public service.”
Now, note his language here: "There's a chance." There's a chance that Bernie Sanders may suddenly renounce communism and state that he's a staunch anarcho-capitalist, and there's a chance that George Soros may spontaneously be teleported to Jupiter by aliens. I'm not sure which of those is less likely, but the odds of Vice President Vance opting out may be greater than either — but not much so. Right now, after all, he's the front-runner.
The vice president's comments came despite his substantial lead in early Republican presidential primary polls.
According to the RealClearPolling average, Vance leads the potential 2028 Republican presidential field with 39% support, 15 percentage points ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, ranks third with 11%.
But 2028 is a long, long way away, and we don't know what the second two years of the Trump/Vance administration may bring. Much, of course, depends on who controls Congress.
Of course, if he did decide not to run, it's hard to fault him for that. Even the vice presidency is a stressful job, even more so when you're working with a president whom the political opposition keeps trying to kill. And, Mr. Vance does have a young family to look after. After all, it's not as though he needs the job; even a former vice president generally doesn't have to worry too much about where his next meal is coming from.
If he does decline the honor, though, the Republicans have a wealth of options, chief among them being the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose tenure on that role and in all the other roles President Trump has assigned him to has been nothing short of stellar. Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis would doubtless like to make another run. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) may take another shot, although personally I'd rather see Cruz on the Supreme Court, not least because it would make so many liberals' heads explode that everything inside the Washington Beltway would sound like a gigantic popcorn popper.
But here's the best part: Who do the Democrats have? Their front-runner is, again, Kamala Harris. Hoo boy.
The 2028 elections are a long ways off. Anything could happen. But right now, even with all the unknowns ahead, I'd rather be in the Republicans' shoes than the Democrats', where presidential candidates are concerned, and that's for sure and for certain.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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