JD Vance is seriously weighing whether to skip the 2028 race after the midterm wipeout, according to people close to him
The man who was supposed to inherit MAGA is wondering if there’s anything left to inherit.
CNN reports that Vance has given serious consideration to not running for president in 2028. Roughly a dozen allies and advisers described a vice president wrestling with his ambitions, a fracturing MAGA coalition and the demands of being a father. One of them put it bluntly. “He’s only 42. He’s young enough that he can have a comeback should this environment make success impossible. It just may not be his time.”
Vance hasn’t decided, and some allies insist he’s more likely than not to run. But the biggest problem is the one he named himself the morning after the midterms. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” he wrote.
A Vance ally told CNN the stakes are simple. “If they don’t end the war in Iran, no Republican has a shot at 2028.”
Trump’s reaction didn’t help. Privately, Trump was “pissed off” that Vance didn’t publicly defend the war, two people told CNN. On Thursday, Trump told Vance to stand down on Iran and focus on corruption instead. As for endorsing Vance in 2028, Trump told 60 Minutes “probably, not necessarily.”
Pollster Rich Baris, who is closely tied to the MAGA movement, had the grimmest read. “MAGA is dead,” he said.
Meanwhile DeSantis, Cruz and Kemp are circling, Tucker Carlson is teasing a third-party bid, and it isn’t clear that MAGA Inc. or Musk’s PAC will spend for Vance after their midterm results.
Vance told the truth about the war. Now he’s finding out what that costs him.