The Early 2028 Frontrunners
Author: Greg Valliere
March 18, 2025
ONLY IN WASHINGTON: The jockeying has begun in both parties for the 2028 presidential nomination.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE demoralized, without an agenda or a leader, and have a long way to go. Their main goal is to capture the House in 2026 (possible) and Senate (unlikely). We’ll write about their presidential battle later this spring.
THE REPUBLICANS ALREADY ARE EYEING THE 2028 nomination. Donald Trump, who turns 79 in June, is term-limited and is a very long shot to change the Constitution and run for a third term.
SO THE SPECULATION HAS BEGUN ALREADY on who would lead the GOP pack for the next election. (One Republican not on our list is Nikki Haley, now a pariah with the MAGA right.) Here’s our take on the pack, in reverse order:
Vivek Ramaswamy, who has decided to run for governor of Ohio, and has a good chance of winning that race. He’s only 39 and will be a major player for years to come.
Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited and cannot run for re-election this fall in Virginia. He’s got time — and gobs of money — and probably will run. Is Youngkin sufficiently conservative for the party? He has moved toward the right, a signal that he’s thinking of running.
Kristi Noem, telegenic and fiercely conservative, the Secretary of Homeland Security. probably will run and could wind up on the ticket.
Ron DeSantis, who flopped last year, has plenty of money and support within the party. It’s way too early to write off his presidential ambitions.
Marco Rubio, probably not conservative enough for MAGA. Rubio has become much more hawkish in recent years and would be a logical pick if geopolitics dominates the next election.
JD Vance, the clear GOP frontrunner, is the MAGA favorite, but he has not won President Trump’s endorsement, largely because there’s one potential candidate the president would favor — Donald Trump, Jr., — who surely would be in the top five if he runs.
* * * * *
NEWS TODAY:
* The Trump-Putin phone call probably will not result in a cease fire; this saga still has a long way to go (as does the Gaza war)
* The White House ignored a court order on deporting illegal immigrants a few days ago, and the reaction has been furious. Is this the beginning of a White House-judiciary war?
* Chuck Schumer has postponed a book tour, obviously because Democrats would heckle him mercilessly
* And Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman has been appointed as the Fed’s banking regulator, which is a popular pick in the financial industry.
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