With this week’s Republican midterm convention in Dallas coming to an end and elections just a couple months away, many voters are looking to Republican Party leaders in anticipation of the next presidential candidate for 2028.
It’s no secret that President Donald Trump is a hard act to follow. Trump delivered a keynote speech Wednesday but remained the star of the show Thursday, following Vice President JD Vance’s speech with quips about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s appearance and urging attendees to vote or “go to hell.”
But the convention also served as an audition of the party’s top figures to see who might be the GOP candidate for the 2028 election – assuming, of course, that Trump doesn’t attempt to run again himself. He’s often hinted at the idea – despite a general consensus among legal analysts that it would be unconstitutional – but appears to be talking more about post-presidential life in recent months.
Here are some of the top contenders and how they appeared Thursday.
JD Vance: The Heir Apparent
Vance’s keynote speech on Thursday night appeared to set him up for a presidential campaign, with audience members chanting “48” repeatedly during his time onstage. If Vance were to be elected in 2028, he would become the 48th president.
“We’ve got to take care of business this November. Then we’ll worry about what comes next,” Vance said in response to the chants.
Vance has not publicly stated whether he plans to run. But The Washington Post reported last month that Trump has been privately telling donors to put their support behind the vice president.
Vance’s speech largely centered on family values messaging. He mentioned his fourth child, born to second lady Usha Vance in July, and the world he wishes for his son.
“I can’t help but think about what it is that we’re fighting for and what it is that we want for all of our children,” Vance said. “What I want for my family, I want for your family, too.”
Vance notably didn’t mention the promise of a $5,000 dividend for all Americans if Republicans retained congressional control, the highly controversial, legally dubious and prohibitively expensive idea Trump floated during his speech Wednesday night.
Vance is currently the front-runner in various polls of potential Republican candidates. Race to the WH’s average of leading polls puts Vance at just over 40 percent, 19 percentage points ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Marco Rubio: The Seasoned Alternative
Though Rubio was not present at the convention, he stayed at the top of many attendees’ minds alongside Vance as potential front-runners. In most polling, Rubio comes in behind Vance – but some polls show him ahead of Vance and outperforming the vice president over potential Democratic contenders.
Rubio told Colombian news network RCN that he has no current plans to run for president in 2028. Rubio, who served as a senator from Florida from 2011 to 2025, previously ran against Trump in 2016 but suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump after a poor showing in the primaries.
Rubio did not run in 2024, after which Trump appointed him secretary of state. But his long history on the national stage combined with his foreign policy expertise – he served as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee before being picked for secretary of state – make the Cabinet member a prime candidate.
Donald Trump Jr.: The Family Tie
Trump’s son may be the dark-horse pick in terms of experience, but it hasn’t stopped him from polling third behind Vance and Rubio. A lot of that hype is obviously name-related – Trump Jr. has made no move toward running and rarely makes political or televised appearances.
But the younger Trump’s speech Thursday may have propelled him to national attention. Trump Jr. memorialized political activist Charlie Kirk one year since his assassination while also bashing socialism and railing against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
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“Common-sense Americans believe in merit, not DEI mandates. They believe in equal opportunity, not racial preferences. We aren’t apologizing for wanting safe streets and supporting our police,” Trump Jr. said. “The truth is, the story of socialism is a story of mass suffering. Democrats know they can’t tell the truth about their policies because the American people would reject them outright.”
A Trump Jr. campaign would have another benefit – access to the family ties, organizations and war chest. Not to mention that the choice to run would likely leave Trump Jr. with the implicit endorsement of his father, considered key to winning.
Ted Cruz: The Persistent Striker
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s convention speech made headlines after audience members shouted “he should be shot” in response to Cruz’s mention of several Democratic politicians.
The shouts came as Cruz told audience members to believe comments made by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Senate candidate James Talarico of Texas.
“When Abdul El-Sayed says he has a, quote, ‘obligation,’ to comply with sharia law, he means it,” Cruz said.
Cruz hasn’t publicly announced plans to run in 2028, but he appears to be setting himself up for such a bid. In an August interview with MS NOW, Cruz rejected the idea that the Republican Party had positioned Vance as the presidential front-runner.
And on Tuesday, Fox Business host Larry Kudlow urged Cruz to consider launching a presidential campaign in November.
“So, what I will say is there will be plenty of time to have that conversation after the midterms,” Cruz responded.
Ron DeSantis: The Anti-Trump Wild Card
Like Rubio, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not make an appearance at the convention. But the question of DeSantis’ potential 2028 candidacy has made his name a continued talking point within the Republican Party.
“You never know,” DeSantis said in May in response to a question of whether he’d run.
DeSantis has often vocally criticized Trump in realms where other Republicans have refused to. When running against him in 2024, DeSantis lambasted Trump for his absence from Republican primary debates in the presidential election, calling it “cowardice” and saying he was “missing in action.” The two subsequently made peace, though it has at times been uneasy.
More recently, DeSantis blasted Trump’s idea of $5,000 dividends during a Thursday press conference in Miami, once again setting himself up as a potential alternative to Trump-era policies.
“What I would say is, if you are getting surplus revenue, you should cut people’s taxes and return it to the people,” DeSantis said.
“What I don’t think you want to do is borrow another trillion-and-a-half dollars and then just try to flood that into the economy, because that will lead to more inflation,” DeSantis continued. “That will lead to more debt and more inflation.”
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