By Jeffrey A. Rendall
One upshot from a lackluster 2026 GOP election might be a vastly expanded 2028 field
It’s not that we’ve forgotten this year’s “This election is the most important one of our lives!” focus on the 2026 Federal Midterm test coming up in a few weeks, but today, oddly enough, we’re looking at what will take place in two years’ time instead.
Or maybe think about what happens starting sometime next year, when Republican would-be presidential candidates form “exploratory” committees and officially file paperwork to test the proverbial waters to determine if there’s a groundswell – or at least a murmuring – of support out there for a post-Donald J. Trump presidential bid.
It’s still early, and as Vice President JD Vance recently commented, he’s preoccupied with campaigning for Republican congressional candidates, not thinking about running for his boss’s job at the moment.
But there’s been some movement in the lead-up to the next quadrennial presidential contest nonetheless. President Donald Trump’s poll-determined declining job performance numbers have opened up options for several different sorts of would-be candidates. The “running lanes” are clearing, and some of the GOP’s most prominent politicians are posturing to fill them.
How many will toss their hats in for 2028? In an article titled, “Moving on from MAGA: 2028 GOP presidential field is suddenly getting crowded”, Susan Ferrechio reported at the Washington Times last week:
“Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana this week added his name to the growing field of Republicans who say they are weighing 2028 presidential campaigns as the party’s midterm prospects look increasingly bleak. Nearly a dozen other Republicans have also expressed interest or hinted they will run to succeed Mr. Trump. Polls show voters are deeply dissatisfied with the president’s job performance, and Democrats are positioned for a blue wave in November.
“The growing list of Republican candidates includes former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Some are vying to inherit the MAGA movement. Mr. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is a potential candidate who polls near the top of hypothetical Republican contenders despite his denials that he is interested in running.
“Other Republicans are running away from Mr. Trump’s legacy.”
That’s putting it mildly, though there still are precious few who would “say it to his face.” The luster is off the shiny gold-plated Trump veneer for some establishment Republicans, Chris Christie being one of the most (physically) unmistakable and loudest (in terms of big sound and saliva dribbling from the corners of his mouth).
The Republican president’s recent noticeable dip in approval ratings has seemingly given license for possible 2028 party presidential hopefuls to crawl out of their shaded hiding spots in order to expose themselves as budding next presidents. I wouldn’t call it a flood of newcomers to the conversation, but there’s little doubt that some of the names on Ferrechio’s list above had heretofore kept their ambitions close to the vest.
In Chris Christie’s example, that’d be a very bloated, over-stuffed vest. Sorry, couldn’t resist a teed up fat joke, especially when I just got through talking about slimmed-down gasbag JB Pritzker’s own moves to vie for his party’s next-in-line mantle last week.
Until recently, commentators have mostly shied away from speculating on the “after Trump” Republicans, and curbed their musings to delving into the fortunes of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the two GOPers closest to Trump and therefore most likely to inherit the president’s Make America Great Again legacy.
Only now, with the 2026 midterms looming, the Iran War still in the forefront of voters’ minds and staple consumer prices at or near all-time highs, the formerly hesitant would-be aspirants are bursting from the sidelines. Christie being the most notable, but the former New Jersey governor hasn’t officially declared anything other than to suggest Vance and Rubio would be too tainted by Trump’s “stink” to be the one Republicans choose when the primary voting begins in less than a year and a half.
Whatever happened to the old axiom that you shouldn’t kick a man when he’s down? I’m a little surprised Jeb Bush hasn’t followed Christie’s lead and peeked his bespectacled mug out to get in a dig at Trump and contribute his name to the fishbowl full of pols waiting for their moment to bask in the after-Trump GOP glory.
This conundrum will sort itself out in good time, though it’s certainly refreshing for politics watchers to consider there may be contenders other than the media-anointed limited roster of hopefuls for the next cycle.
74-year-old (almost 75) Louisiana Senator John Kennedy is one of the most intriguing, the prominent upper chamber straight-shooter hinting he might think about a run for the White House depending on how many “goobers” are in the field when the time comes.
I wonder who Kennedy considers a “goober”? Of course, the outspoken and keen Louisianan enjoys a conservative following, those who enjoy his pervasive willingness to mix-it-up with committee witnesses as well as call out Democrats for their many travesties. Kennedy is probably most celebrated for his humor, but I’m not sure this reputation alone would supply a basis for him to follow-up Trump as president of the United States.
Kennedy lacks a defining issue and, after Trump, voters will demand his campaign theme be synopsized into a digestible slogan, such as Trump’s was with “Make America Great Again.” A lot of people don’t like Trump, but very few would claim they don’t recognize his slogan or campaign premise.
What saying would work for Kennedy? How about “Goobers Be Damned!”
Likewise, Senator Rand Paul would struggle to fill a lane, not because he’s unfamiliar, but because the Republican Party under Donald Trump has moved away from the Kentuckian’s brand of libertarian-Republicanism. It wasn’t all that long ago that Rand’s dad (Ron Paul) commanded a significant niche in the GOP, but today’s Republicans are much closer to Donald Trump’s populism-fueled MAGA brand than they are straight-down-the-line anti-government believers like the Pauls.
This isn’t to disparage Rand Paul for championing his purist causes – like being anti-War, calling for fiscal discipline and questioning the government’s power to spy on citizens – it’s just where most conservatives are at these days.
Rand Paul is one of those unique politicians that’s right on nearly all issues, but isn’t a good fit to lead an entire, broad-based political party. I just don’t see it happening for you, Rand.
How about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis? Strangely enough, DeSantis’s political brand may have benefitted the most from Trump’s recent popularity slide, since a lot of Republicans will be searching for a no-nonsense non-Washington-swamp conservative in the next round of primaries. The Floridian might be the one best suited to fill a significant void created by Trump’s impending retirement.
DeSantis has been said to be “Trump without the personal baggage”, and this type of candidate could possess the right combination of issue bona fides heading towards 2028. Whereas Trump belittled Ron and made him feel low in 2024, Trump’s say-so may not carry as much weight in two years as many observers originally thought. DeSantis will be out of political office after this year, and jumping from the title of nation’s best conservative governor to the White House doesn’t seem as farfetched as it once did.
Now, will DeSantis do something to control his sour facial expressions and learn how to act like he really enjoys campaigning and wants the job? This will be the key. Perhaps he should take some humor tips from Senator John Kennedy to bridge the gap.
Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was mentioned in Ferrechio’s article, but Pompeo could be the leading contender for a “Why is he here again?” award if he were to run for the next GOP nomination. What would Pompeo’s lane be? What is he known for? Do most Republican voters even know who he is? It’s been a long time since he was in the news a lot, and he’s a lot thinner now. One has to wonder…
Chris Christie sucks all the oxygen out of a room he enters, and not in a pleasant way. People would grab for their oxygen masks to keep from suffocating. I don’t see it. A man who’s purely anti-Trump has no chance in the post-Trump GOP, either.
We’re still about a half year away from learning how deep the 2028 Republican presidential field will be. This year’s results, the eventual conclusion of the Iran War and falling fuel prices – and economic growth – will allow Trump to reclaim some of what he’s lost. Political cycles come and go, but it won’t be easy to be the one following on Donald Trump’s heels.
Stay tuned.
Jeff Rendall is editor and publisher of GolfintheUSA.com and has written about golf and politics for over a quarter of a century. A non-practicing attorney from California, he moved to the east coast three decades ago to pursue and combine his interests in all things American history and culture. Jeff has worked as an intern on Capitol Hill and in various capacities in grassroots organizing and conservative organizations and publications, including a nearly two-decade stint at ConservativeHQ.com. Column republishing or other inquiries: Rendall@msn.com .