A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill want to draft Marco Rubio for a 2028 presidential bid as they grapple with their midterms wipeout — and look beyond Vice President JD Vance.
The generational losses are sparking new discussions among Hill Republicans about who should lead the party. Many argue the race to carry the mantle is now wide open — including a faction who view Rubio as a better fit, given that voters may continue to tie Vance to the president’s unpopularity, interviews with roughly two dozen GOP lawmakers reveal.
“I hope he runs. I think he’s the best person to communicate, to unify,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) said of Rubio in an interview.
“I think he’s the most talented Republican by far,” Stutzman said when asked about why he supported the secretary of State over Vance. “We’re going to have to continue to re-message, put some new faces up.” The vice president still has his supporters. And he got a boost Tuesday by fellow Ohio Republican Jim Jordan being elected as the incoming House minority leader.
But the election wipeout “certainly makes it harder for Vance,” said one GOP senator, who like others in this article, was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
“I think Rubio is our best hope to lead Republicans out of this wilderness, and I hope he makes his break from Trump and JD early next year,” said one House Republican in the wake of the election.
The openness toward Rubio — or any other candidate that’s not Vance — is a complication for the vice president, who was picked by Trump for the role that’s next in line to the presidency. Now, Vance has to grapple with being closely associated with an agenda that even GOP lawmakers argue voters harshly rebuked last week.
Several lawmakers said they’ve spoken to people close to Rubio who have suggested he isn’t interested in pursuing a 2028 bid, even after Tuesday’s results. Rubio himself this week has stood by Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran and told reporters Monday he was “just not going to talk about 2028 anymore.”
A person close to Rubio said the secretary of State is the only person who knows what he will do regarding a presidential bid. Right now, he’s “fully focused on doing his many jobs and isn’t thinking about 2028.”
But some Hill Republicans aren’t giving up hope.
“I’m a big supporter of Marco Rubio, and I’m very excited about the potential of his candidacy,” said Florida Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who has known the secretary of State for nearly three decades. “No question he’s ready to be president if he chooses to pursue the office.”
“Some of us are still hoping we can draft Marco,” said another GOP senator.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment. Vance’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Vance, for his part, has tried to distance himself from the unpopular Iran war, blaming it for the party’s losses in the immediate aftermath of the midterm election. His allies argue that the vice president would’ve always faced some internal opposition, like Trump did within the GOP ahead of the 2016 election.
However, as the Rubio talk swirls, even some of Trump’s top MAGA allies on Capitol Hill are unwilling to publicly declare Vance the presumptive GOP nominee for 2028. “Can I skip this one?” one House GOP hardliner said. “Not wading into 2028 yet.” Some Republican senators also declined to back Vance just yet, citing their own reelections.
GOP Rep. and Sen.-elect Barry Moore of Alabama said he thought Vance would certainly “have a shot” at the presidency in 2028. Moore was the first member of Congress to back Trump for the 2016 race.
But Moore for now is leaving his endorsement up in the air: “We got a great bench,” he said. “Whoever steps up, we’ll be happy to support.”
Rubio’s supporters say that he’s not as closely associated with the 2026 GOP wipeout as Vance, but he could face his own obstacles. Rubio, unlike Vance, has continued to show strong support for the war in Iran, a conflict he’s tied to as the country’s top diplomat. Some GOP lawmakers have also grown frustrated with the amount of information the Trump administration, including Rubio at times, has been willing to share about the ongoing conflict.
Rubio also has his failed 2016 presidential run to contend with, including an infamous debate performance where he awkwardly repeated the same rehearsed line multiple times.
One thing is clear, the 2028 presidential race is now wide open, many Hill Republicans argue as they process Tuesday’s results. And other potential candidates only appear encouraged after the midterms wipeout.
Several Hill Republicans believe outgoing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been one of the most outspoken Republicans urging a course correction after the midterms bloodbath, will get in the race as well. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) this week also didn’t rule out a presidential bid. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also appears likely to run.
“I think everybody reserves the right to adjust. You know, learn from this,” GOP Rep. and incoming Oklahoma Sen. Kevin Hern said. Asked his favorite candidate of the three he expected to run: Vance, Rubio or DeSantis, he replied with a smile: “Everybody.”
Vance does have ardent supporters, including Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana who said before the midterms he would enthusiastically back him for president in 2028.
“If JD runs, he has my full support,” Banks said in an interview this week. “He continues to lead in all the polls on the Republican side to be the nominee. He’s my friend. We come from the same part of the country, the same background, and he’s what the country needs. I hope he runs. But I don’t know if he’s running or not.”
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) called Vance “a friend who I’ve had the honor to work alongside. He’s the vice president, of course he’s a front-runner.”
Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) said in an interview that it was the Republican “party” and not its “policies” that suffered massive losses last week. But he doesn’t blame Vance, and he supports him for the 2028 presidential race.
Vance, for his part, made his own allusion to the situation he’s found himself in. “I wanted to talk, of course, about the devastating loss last week. …There are a lot of people, I think, unfairly criticizing the leader of the team … a lot of staff infighting. … And of course, there’s a conversation about whether the No. 2 has what it takes to ultimately lead the team.”
He finished: “I’m talking, of course, about the Ohio State Buckeyes.”
