With the former president and now President-elect Trump With him term-limited and constitutionally unable to run again for the White House in 2028, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is on a smooth path to being the heir apparent to the America First movement and the GOP's powerful MAGA base.
It was a point emphasized by Donald Trump Jr., the former and future president's eldest son and a staunch ally of the vice president-elect.
“We receive another four years of Trump and then eight years J.D. Vance!Trump Jr. said while campaigning in Ohio a few weeks before the November election.
Many Republican politicians, strategists and pundits agree that Vance, who was elected to the Ohio Senate just two years ago, is likely to be the front-runner in the upcoming GOP presidential nomination race.
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Senator J.D. Vance and former President Trump speak during an Election Night celebration at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (Eva Marie Ozcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The vice president will be in Catbird's seat. There's no question about it,” Dave Carney, a longtime Republican consultant, told Fox News Digital.
Carney, a war veteran Republican presidential campaigns Over the past four decades, Vance has said “he's the guy to beat.”
David Kuchel, another GOP strategist with significant presidential campaign experience, told Fox News that Vance is the front-runner because of “the size and scope of last week's victory and the implicit passing of the torch from Donald Trump.”
“There will be no shortage of people looking at it,” Kuchel said. “But most people looking at it see the relative strength of Trump’s victory and the movement.”
Former President Trump greets Senator J.D. Vance at an Election Night celebration, in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP/Evan Vucci)
And with Trump's support in a party firmly controlled by the president-elect, it will be very difficult to get rid of the 40-year-old Vance.
However, Kuchel noted, “No one will completely submit to J.D. Vance. There will be a contest. There always is.”
Carney added, “There may be other people who challenge him (Vance)… There are a lot of people who want to become president, but it will be very difficult unlike Trump's path.”
He added that roughly four years of a Trump/Vance administration would give potential Vance rivals “opportunities.”
However, he praised the vice president-elect's messaging and accessibility on the campaign trail, and that he is “the guy to beat, regardless of whether it's four good years or four bad years.”
Carney also noted that the GOP has a “deep bench.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, a major Trump ally, said in a recent Fox News Digital interview that he is “very excited about the seat we have in the Republican Party now.”
Referring to Trump's reshaping of the Republican Party, Whatley added that “as we enter 2028, we are in a great position to continue the momentum of this agenda and this movement.”
But he also stressed that regardless of Vance's status as a potential nominee heading into 2028, the Republican National Committee will stick to its traditional role of remaining neutral in open and contested presidential primaries.
Here's a look at some of the benchers who may have national aspirations and ambitions in 2028, or beyond.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves from the stage during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz)
Governor Governor of Florida He was flying high after being re-elected overwhelmingly in 2022, but an unsuccessful 2024 presidential primary and a bruising battle with Trump demolished Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
However, the 46-year-old governor, who has been in office for two years to lead Florida, has over the past few years proven his fundraising prowess and retains plenty of supporters across the country.
DeSantis was also able, to some extent, to mend fences with Trump, helped raise money for the GOP ticket during the general election, and got speaking time at the July convention.
DeSantis, who sources say Trump has considered a backup plan for defense secretary if his nominee Pete Hegseth runs into trouble, is likely eyeing another run at the White House.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp poses for an interview with Fox News Digital, his first since being elected Chairman of the Republican Governors Association, on November 20, 2024, in Marco Island, Florida. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The hugely popular conservative governor is one of the few in the GOP who can claim to have faced Trump's wrath and not only survived, but thrived.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, term-limited, has been in office for two years and enjoys strong positive ratings in a battleground state.
We expect to see Kemp is 61 years old On the campaign trail across the country for fellow Republicans in 2026, as his national profile expands.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks before former President Trump at a campaign rally in Salem, Virginia, on November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Helper)
With his 2021 governorship win — the first by a Republican in Virginia in more than a dozen years — Gov. Glenn Youngkin instantly became a rising star in the Republican Party.
In Virginia, governors are limited to one four-year term, meaning Youngkin has one year remaining in office.
The 58-year-old governor, who hails from the business wing of the Republican Party but has been able to thrive in a MAGA-dominated party, likely has national ambitions.
The first step could be to obtain a Cabinet position in Trump's second administration after his term as governor ends.
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas
Republican Senator Ted Cruz sits for an interview with Fox News Digital on May 9, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Senator Ted Cruz came in second place For Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential battle.
The controversial conservative successfully challenged Trump again in 2024, running in what was thought to be another tough re-election bid, after narrowly escaping re-election in 2018.
However, the 53-year-old senator ended up winning a third six-year term in the Senate by nearly nine points.
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Senator Tom Cotton gives an interview with Fox News Digital on the floor of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The Army veteran, who served in combat in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars before becoming a rising star in Republican Party politics, was considered among the larger list of potential Trump running mates.
Sen. Tom Cotton, now 47, seriously considered running for the White House in 2024 before deciding against it in late 2022, putting his young family before political ambitions. But he did not rule out running for president in the future.
Cotton is currently vying for GOP Conference Chair, the number three leadership position in the incoming Republican Senate majority.
Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri
Senator Josh Hawley at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 1, 2024, in Washington, D.C (Tom Williams)
Along with Cotton, 44-year-old Sen. Josh Hawley is another rising conservative star in the Senate.
Hawley is also a strong advocate of Trump's America First agenda and is believed to have patriotic aspirations.
Former Ambassador Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley speaks at the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images)
The former South Carolina governor, who served as UN ambassador in Trump's first term, was the first GOP contender to jump into the race against the former president in the 2024 nomination race.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has held out The rest of the field, becoming Trump's final challenger before ending her bid for the White House in March.
While Haley, 52, ended up supporting Trump in the general election, her previous clashes with the current president-elect during the primaries left their mark. Although she addressed GOP supporters at the convention, her political future in a Trump-dominated party is uncertain.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appears on stage at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024 in Milwaukee. (Getty Images)
The conservative, first-time Arkansas governor is a well-known figure in the MAGA world, thanks to her stint as Trump's longest-serving White House press secretary during his first administration.
The 42-year-old Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Gov. and former two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, has also captured national attention for delivering the GOP's response to President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy expresses his admiration at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
The millionaire biotech entrepreneur and first-time candidate was one of the biggest surprises during the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Vivek Ramaswamy, now 39, who touted during his campaign that he and Trump were the only “America First” candidates in a large field of contenders, eventually dropped out of the race and became a major supporter and alternative to the GOP. Former President.
Now he's teaming up with billionaire Trump supporter and friend Elon Musk to direct DOGE, the new presidential advisory committee that will look to make massive cuts to the federal budget.
Other things you should keep an eye on include Sin. Marco Rubiowho ran for the nomination in 2016 and was nominated to serve as Secretary of State in the second Trump administration; Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 nomination but remains very popular; and Senator Rick Scott Florida and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeowho thought about running for president last session but decided not to.
And they shouldn't be ignored either – Trump's top supporters Rep. Byron Donalds Florida and Rep. Elise Stefanik From New York, whom Trump chose to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations, and South Dakota governor. kristi Noem, Who was appointed to head the Department of Homeland Security
Then there Donald Trump Jrthe president-elect's eldest son and a MAGA warrior. However, the younger Trump is very close to Vance, which will likely prevent him from making any bid for the White House next cycle.
