At the White House's somber election watch party on Tuesday night, Secretary of State Marco Rubio's phone “blew up” with supporters urging him to run for president in 2028, according to a source familiar with the scene. Rubio said in May he would not run against Vice President JD Vance and has not changed that position publicly, but the source told Axios he “seemed to entertain the idea for the first time. Or he didn't shut it down fast enough.”
The episode underscores the sudden volatility of the nascent 2028 Republican preprimary campaign to succeed Trump.
The midterm drubbing has intensified interest among some prominent Republicans in an earnest presidential primary rather than a Vance coronation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is positioning himself for a presidential run. He has embarked on a media blitz, including an appearance on CNN, where he said the party “really got blasted into oblivion.” A national Republican consultant told Axios, “The alligator people are stirring,” referring to Florida's official reptile. Rubio denied a report that he would resign to lay the groundwork for a run. At the watch party, one source said Rubio seemed to entertain the idea. DeSantis has not built out campaign infrastructure, according to a person close to the governor, but has stoked speculation about a potential run.
Vance himself has not decided whether to run. He was quick to publicly distance himself last week from Trump's unpopular war with Iran and his approach to affordability. The Rockbridge Network, a donor and advocacy group Vance co-founded, gathered in Texas over the weekend for a long-planned midterm postmortem, with his political future among the topics discussed, though he did not attend. A person close to the vice president said that winning a hard-fought primary would be better for Vance than being anointed anyway.
Other potential contenders are also making moves. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp is weighing a bid, according to a person with knowledge of his plans. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is planning to work with longtime consultant Jeff Roe of Axiom Strategies if he enters the race, according to two people with knowledge of his thinking. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and former Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin are seen as contenders, as is former vice president Mike Pence, who has been growing a policy organisation to push the GOP back toward some of its past principles.
The race is also forcing a reckoning over the party's identity. Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump adviser, argued that a nominee like Cruz who is out of touch with the populist movement would cost the party millions of Trump voters. Tim Chapman, president of Pence's think tank, said the midterms showed a "majority coalition for a limited government party" if it can develop proper policies.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The 2028 Republican primary will determine the party's direction after Trump, whether it consolidates around a populist heir or fractures into warring factions.
- A competitive primary between figures like Vance, DeSantis, and Kemp forces a debate on trade, foreign policy and culture war priorities.
- The outcome will test whether Trump's multi-ethnic, working-class coalition survives without him on the ballot.
Background
The 2026 midterm elections delivered a severe rebuke to the Republican Party, widely interpreted as a rejection of President Trump's agenda and his unpopular war with Iran. The loss destabilised Vice President JD Vance's position as the presumed frontrunner for the 2028 nomination, creating a power vacuum that potential rivals are now rushing to fill.
Key Perspectives
Vance allies: argue that a competitive primary is preferable to a coronation, as it would prove the candidate's strength. Alex Bruesewitz, Trump adviser: warned that any nominee out of step with the populist movement will lose millions of Trump voters. Tim Chapman, Advancing American Freedom president: said the midterms showed an opening for a limited-government, fiscally conservative party. Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa evangelical leader: reported increased interest in Ron DeSantis among key early-state conservatives.
What to Watch
- Whether Vance formally launches a 2028 bid, or Trump signals he should step aside.
- DeSantis's use of media interviews and travel to early-primary states.
- The formal entry of candidates like Brian Kemp and Ted Cruz, expected by early 2027.
- How the party's donor class and grassroots respond to the populist-versus-traditionalist divide.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedDeSantis is positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run.Axios: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is positioning himself for a presidential run.”
- SupportedSupporters urged Rubio to run for president in 2028.Axios: “Rubio's phone "blew up" with supporters urging him to reconsider running for president, according to a source familiar with the scene.”
- SupportedThe White House election watch party was somber and took place on Tuesday night.Axios: “During the somber election watch party at the White House on Tuesday night, Rubio's phone "blew up" with supporters urging him to reconsider running for president”
- SupportedRubio's phone "blew up" with supporters urging him to reconsider a presidential run.Axios: “Rubio's phone "blew up" with supporters urging him to reconsider running for president, according to a source familiar with the scene.”
- SupportedRubio said in May that he would not run against Vance and has not changed that position publicly.Axios: “He also said in May that he wouldn't run against Vance, and hasn't changed his position publicly.”
- Partly supportedA source said Rubio “seemed to entertain the idea for the first time.”Axios: “"To some people, Rubio seemed to entertain the idea for the first time. Or he didn't shut it down fast enough."”
- SupportedRubio says he plans to stay in the Trump administration.Axios: “Rubio repeatedly has said he plans to stay put in the Trump administration and serve out the rest of his term, until January 2029.”
- SupportedDeSantis appeared on CNN as part of a media blitz.Axios: “DeSantis's postelection appearance on CNN with Jake Tapper was a sign he learned a lesson from his 2024 presidential campaign”
- SupportedDeSantis said the party “really got blasted into oblivion.”Axios: “"We really got blasted into oblivion," DeSantis added.”
- SupportedVance has not decided whether to run in 2028.WA Today - Latest News: “Vance has not decided whether to run in 2028”
- SupportedThe Rockbridge Network gathered in Texas over the weekend for a long-planned midterm postmortem, and Vance did not attend.WA Today - Latest News: “Over the weekend, the Rockbridge Network, a political donor and advocacy group Vance co-founded, gathered in Texas for a long-planned midterm postmortem, according to four people with knowledge of the event. Vance did not attend”
- Partly supportedChapman said the midterms showed a “majority coalition for a limited government party” if it can develop proper policies.WA Today - Latest News: “Voters repudiated “a party that put one person over all sorts of policy and principle”, said Tim Chapman, the president of Pence’s think tank, Advancing American Freedom. “There is a majority coalition for a limited government party if that party can actually develop policies that are good for the economy,” he argued.”