Vance Holds Huge Advantage To Lock Up 2028 GOP Nomination
Amid ongoing speculation surrounding the 2028 presidential race within Republican circles, Vice President JD Vance consistently emerges as the leading contender.
According to GOP insiders cited by the New York Post, Vance’s influential role as the Republican National Committee’s finance chair strengthens his position as a formidable successor to President Donald Trump. Some even consider him the clear favorite.
“He will establish himself as the next GOP torchbearer if he intensifies the RNC fundraising machine and the party surpasses its performance in 2026. That is, if he stays in the good graces of you know who,” one source told the outlet.
Republican strategist Dennis Lennox took an even bolder stance, asserting, “The idea that Vance is not going to be the Republican nominee in 2028 is absurd.”
Speaking to The Post, he added, “Holding all the primaries and caucuses and the convention in Houston will waste time and money that would otherwise be spent on defeating the Democrat nominee. The RNC might as well cancel the 2028 primaries and caucuses at this point.”
As of now, neither Republicans nor Democrats have officially declared candidacy for the 2028 race. However, Vance could face primary competition from figures such as Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley. In the general election, he might contend with Democrats including former Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, The Post reported.
Unexpected challengers from within the Republican Party, possibly from Trump’s own circle, could also step into the race if they see an opening. Nevertheless, according to the outlet, Vance appears to have a solid path ahead if he stays on course.
While Trump has not formally endorsed his vice president, he remarked in February that there remains considerable work before the next election, though he acknowledged that Vance is “very capable.”
For his part, Vance remains patient, working to prove his suitability for the nomination.
“If I do really well for the next four years, everything else will take care of itself. . . . Now, like, yeah, in two and a half years, will that become harder? Will people be more focused on politics than on what the White House is maybe doing that particular day? Maybe,” Vance told NBC News last week.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at strengthening the integrity of U.S. elections, fulfilling a key campaign promise.
During the signing, the president stated that the measure would “go a long way toward ending” election fraud nationwide, adding that additional actions from his administration would follow in the coming weeks.
“Perhaps some people think I shouldn’t be complaining because we won in a landslide, but we’re going to straighten out our elections,” Trump said. “This country is so sick because of the election, the fake elections and the bad elections, and we’re going to straighten it out one way or the other.”
The executive order enhances election integrity by mandating that voter registration forms require government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship, as detailed in an administration fact sheet.
Before states can receive federal election funds, they must comply with “integrity measures set forth by Federal law, including the requirement that states use the national mail voter registration form that will now require proof of citizenship,” the order stated.
“The Order improves the integrity of elections by directing the updating of the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0 and security standards for voting equipment and prioritizing federal grant funds accordingly,” the administration added. “This includes requiring a voter-verifiable paper ballot record and not using ballots in which the counted vote is contained within a barcode or QR code.”
Furthermore, the order empowers federal law enforcement to take a more aggressive stance in investigating and addressing instances of voter fraud.
“All agencies must report on compliance with undoing Biden Executive Order 14019, which turned Federal agencies into Democratic voter turnout centers,” the order stated.