Secretary of State and former Republican presidential nominee Marco Rubio has privately acknowledged that Vice President JD Vance is the leading contender for the GOP's 2028 presidential nomination, Politico reported Friday.
Further, Rubio would opt against running and throw his support behind Vance if he chooses to run, according to the report.
"Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be," Politico quoted a person close to Rubio as saying. "He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort."
Rubio publicly echoed that sentiment, saying in July that Vance would be "a great nominee."
Politico reported that the White House expectation for 2028 "is JD as [nominee] and Rubio as VP."
Vance himself said last week that he has "joked" about a 2028 ticket with Rubio, adding that President Donald Trump "mentioned" the possibility of that ticket months ago.
"I mentioned it to the secretary in jest, but it feels so premature, because we're still so early," Vance told "Pod Force One" last week.
According to a recent Politico poll, 35% of Trump voters in 2024 said Vance is the one they'd most like to see run for president in 2028. Just 2% named Rubio, according to the outlet.
Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign was a bid for the Republican nomination centered on a "next generation of conservative leadership" message.
Launched in April 2015, Rubio — then a first-term U.S. senator for Florida — positioned himself as a young, energetic alternative to establishment figures like Jeb Bush and insurgents like Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
Rubio performed strongly in early debates and gained traction after a third-place finish in Iowa and second place in South Carolina, but his momentum faltered as Trump dominated the primaries.
A disastrous showing in his home state — losing Florida to Trump by nearly 20 points in March 2016 — prompted him to suspend his campaign.
Trump went on to defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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