Secretary of State Marco Rubio is privately assuring people he has no intention of running for president in 2028 if Vice President JD Vance chooses to run, per a report from the far-left Politico.
It’s all unnamed sources very close to the Secretary, so make of that what you will. I tend to buy it, not because Politico says so, but because it makes sense politically. Further, it’s something Rubio has already said out loud in public.
“Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be,” one source told Politico. “He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort.”
“No one expects Marco to resign from the Cabinet and start taking potshots at the sitting vice president,” per a second source. “Beyond that, they’re friends.”
A third source said that as of right now, the thinking is that Vance will run for president with Rubio as his choice for vice president.
Come 2028, Rubio will only be 57 years old. That means he would still be plenty young enough to run for president at age 65 after Vance’s hypothetical two terms.
Vance is still a whippersnapper who will only be 44 in 2024 and 52 after those hypothetical two terms.
Both men have plenty of time. Both men have been named by President Trump as his likely successors.
Best of all, choosing between Vance and Rubio is what’s known as a luxury problem. These are two appealing, very skilled politicians who can be trusted to keep the GOP on the MAGA tracks. Vance is one of the most naturally gifted politicians I’ve ever come across. Dude was born the year I graduated high school, and still, his poise, knowledge, wisdom, and debating ability are off the charts. What’s especially powerful is how comfortable he is in his own skin.
In some ways, Rubio might be even more impressive. He has a natural charisma, but obviously had to put in the hard work to get to where he is politically. All the awkward boyishness that defined his 2016 presidential run against Trump is gone. He is “Little Marco” no more. Instead, like Vance, he is poised, capable, and just as comfortable in his own skin.
Both command immediate respect, are likable, and would make excellent 2028 presidential candidates.
Still, an awful lot can and will happen between now and 2028. What will the midterms tell us? What will the economy look like in three years? If the Democrats win back the U.S. House, what damage will their bogus investigations do to rough up Vance and Rubio?
One concern people may have is Vance clearing the 2028 field with a simple announcement. A smart politician knows you have only two options in a political race: 1) run unopposed, or 2) run scared. But if you run unopposed, especially after sitting in the White House bubble for four years, you get rusty. Alternatively, running scared in a primary prepares you for the general election. Better to work off the rust earlier than later, right?
I’m not so sure.
Right now, it looks as though, after his redistricting triumph, Gov. Gavin Newsom will be the Democrat Party’s 2028 nominee. He’s a lousy governor but a skilled politician. Whoever our guy is, he could use the primary reps before entering the general election, right?
Again, I’m not so sure.
An unexpected primary battle could rough our guy up in the way Pat Buchanan did to George H.W. Bush in 1992, which aided and abetted a little-known governor from Arkansas and his wife Hillary in their climb to the Oval Office.
Then there’s Republicans Mitt Romney and John McCain, who made it through pretty rough primaries in 2008 and 2012 and were still lousy general election candidates.
Anyway, it’s all speculation at this point. Three years is forever. Anything and everything will happen. But looking at our bench, as things stand today, I’d still rather be us than them.
John Nolte’s first and last novel, Borrowed Time, is winning five-star raves from everyday readers. You can read an excerpt here and an in-depth review here. Also available in hardcover and on Kindle and Audiobook.
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