Call it the shadow campaign for the post-Trump era, with many of the GOP’s biggest names — whose stars have been somewhat dimmed by Trump’s all-encompassing aura in recent years — trying to make their mark with the party faithful as early as they can. The positioning among next-generation leaders happened both publicly on the convention floor and behind the scenes as Trump’s vice-presidential pick — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), 39 — sparked talk of who comes next.
A handful of prominent potential future candidates made the rounds here, including the governors: Florida’s Ron DeSantis, Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin, Arkansas’ Sarah Huckabee Sanders and South Dakota’s Kristi L. Noem, as well as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. There were also the senators: Vance, Marco Rubio (Fla.), Tim Scott (S.C.) and Ted Cruz (Tex.).
Some would-be 2028 contenders spoke from the main stage and threw their weight behind Trump, including 2024 Trump rivals DeSantis, Haley and Scott. Rubio, whom Trump seriously considered as his veep pick, also scored a speaking slot and sat next to Trump on Wednesday in his box in the convention arena.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) concluded that based on speeches from many of the rising GOP stars Tuesday night, “the 2028 Republican nomination is not secure.”
“I mean there are a lot of people starting with Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley who clearly, clearly aren’t done and shouldn’t be and who are widely accepted,” he said. “Do I think people are positioning? For sure.”
Haley, who was viewed by Never Trumpers as their best bet during the 2024 primaries, did end up in Milwaukee after a last-minute schedule change. Despite their rivalry, she encouraged voters to back her former foe in a prime-time speech and gave him her “strong endorsement, period.”
Haley, however, did no other public events at the convention.
Noem and Youngkin addressed a breakfast hosted by an influential evangelical group. Tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who also ran in 2024, mingled on the convention floor with delegates Thursday night before Trump’s speech. Sanders spoke at a lunch hosted by the National Federation of Republican Women.
The interest in the future was evident on the patio of an elegant Italian villa overlooking Lake Michigan on Wednesday, where DeSantis reintroduced himself to Iowa Republican voters. (He placed second in their caucuses this year).
Iowa delegates lunched alongside Sen. Joni Ernst and other high-ranking Republicans, chatting about the past two days and abuzz about the Vance speech they were anticipating later that night. DeSantis then walked onto the grand terrace. He was a familiar face who had crisscrossed their state for months, braving all manner of weather to deliver a message about how great Florida was under his leadership.
Many Iowans said they had voted for Trump in their caucuses, but it wasn’t because they disliked DeSantis. It just wasn’t his time.
DeSantis didn’t talk about the Trump-Vance ticket. Instead, he touted his accomplishments: passing a bill to reduce government spending, overhauling the higher education system and squashing pro-Palestinian protests on campuses. He complimented Iowa’s conservative bent, comparing it to Florida.
“It’s not just about winning the election,” he said. “It’s like all we talk about is like the horse race and all this stuff. The most important thing is going to be doing the job.”
Ernst insisted there’s “no heir apparent” to Trump.
“Everybody will come and everybody will compete, and that’s a really important thing,” she said.
The 2028 jockeying may begin especially early because Trump can serve only one four-year term after already clocking four years in the White House, if he wins in November. Vance is closely aligned with Trump’s populist message, and his allies argue that by picking him, Trump has essentially anointed the heir apparent and successor to his MAGA movement. Some Republicans also see Trump’s decision to choose Vance as a sign that the “America First” version of the GOP is here to stay, even when he is no longer the leader of the party.
Trump “picked the candidate four years from now, and that’s a significant part of all of this,” said Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is running for Senate. “J.D. Vance is now the front-runner to be the president after Donald Trump.”
Trump’s decision to elevate Vance cements the Ohio Republican’s meteoric political rise after the former venture capitalist and “Hillbilly Elegy” author has served in the Senate for less than two years. Yet there’s no guarantee that Trump and Vance will have the same relationship in four years. Trump broke with his former vice president Mike Pence after he refused to overturn the 2020 election results, and many of Trump’s former aides have warned against a second Trump term.
Republicans also note that many rising GOP stars, including those who ran in 2016, passed on a 2024 run because of Trump’s decision to seek another term.
“There’s going to be a lot of pent-up energy, and it could be a very crowded 2028 race on the Republican Party because so many took a pass this time,” said Terry Sullivan, who was Rubio’s 2016 campaign manager. “It’s highly unusual that folks who ran in a previous cycle didn’t run.”
Many of the big names hit the early state circuit in Milwaukee, making it a point to meet with delegates and speak to influential conservative organizations. Youngkin, for example, attended a breakfast with the South Carolina delegation.
New Hampshire GOP Chair Christopher Ager said that while potential 2028 contenders focused many of their public comments on backing Trump, they are meeting with delegates in early primary states to introduce themselves.
He referenced one joint event with delegates from New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, key states in any nominating contest, with some possible 2028 candidates, although he declined to say who those people would be. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who also ran against Trump, and Ramaswamy were seen walking into the event.
“We’re meeting with people who could be seen as prospective candidates while we’re here,” Ager said. “Everyone knows that it will be an open seat in 2028, so it’s not too early to quietly lay the groundwork.”
Republican aides and strategists cautioned that it’s too early to predict where the country will be four years from now and noted the uncertainty surrounding the Democratic ticket in 2024.
Several early state delegates cautioned that while potential candidates may soon be descending on their state, they want to see what the prospective candidates will do next. And after witnessing the hard-fought battle for the 2024 GOP nomination, they realize that some may need to mend some wounds.
“It’s not pleasant when anyone loses,” Iowa alternate delegate April Melton said. “They need time to recover.”
Some convention attendees supported the argument that Trump’s decision to pick Vance could be an obstacle for other future contenders because he would have the upper hand with the party’s base. GOP delegates named him first when asked about 2028 at this week’s convention.
“I love the idea of Trump mentoring this young man,” said Kathleen Winn, an alternate delegate from Arizona in her 60s. Like others, she took note of Vance’s forceful defenses of Trump. “People start to say, ‘Oh, he got indicted, or whatever,’” she said. “J.D. has been able to break it down from an unemotional, legal point of view.”
Leanna Derrick, a delegate from New Mexico, called DeSantis one of her “heroes” as she left a Milwaukee panel where he spoke. Derrick has no problem with DeSantis running in 2028 but said Vance is the obvious successor.
“That’s what I’d like to see — provided he doesn’t pull a Mike Pence,” she said.
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