Vice President Vance has made clear he sees Senator Ted Cruz of Texas as a likely rival in the 2028 Republican presidential contest, telling NBC News that it is “really obvious” Cruz is already positioning himself for a White House run. Vance, who has not ruled out his own campaign, said he is currently focused on the midterms rather than his own political future.
“It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance said in an interview. “At this moment, I’m not. I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing.”
Cruz, who finished second in the 2016 GOP primary, has recently stepped up his public signals of interest in the 2028 race. In a separate interview, he suggested Vance does not have the nomination locked down and said he wants to “certainly be part of the discussion.” Cruz also framed the party’s future as a choice between a “small-government, free-market conservative party” and a “big-government, nanny state party.”
The Texas senator’s spokesperson said Cruz is focused on helping Republicans in this year’s midterm elections and will continue campaigning for GOP candidates in the coming weeks. Cruz is not up for reelection until 2030, which gives him room to explore a presidential bid without immediate electoral pressure.
Vance, meanwhile, has said he will wait until after the midterms to decide whether to enter the 2028 race. “You make these decisions by collecting as much information and trying to make a wise decision,” he said. “And yeah, I mean, regardless of what happens over the next 35 days, there will be new information, new things you have to make a decision over.”
When pressed on whether Republican losses in November would affect his decision, Vance demurred, saying, “The American people make that decision, and when they do, then yeah, I’ll have some new information to consider.”
The vice president also acknowledged that Republicans face an “uphill climb” in the midterms, though he expressed cautious optimism. “Historically there’s always a bit of an uphill climb, and I think you definitely sense that,” he told NBC News. “I also think you can sense a sense of cautious optimism, in the sense that, you know, people feel like the numbers are sort of moving, maybe in our direction.”
Vance’s comments come as other potential 2028 contenders, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, are already making moves. Newsom has branded himself a “disrupter” as he weighs a run, adding to a crowded field of potential candidates. Meanwhile, President Trump’s recent travel to Texas has kept the state in the political spotlight, with the president touting his manufacturing agenda amid economic concerns.
For now, both Vance and Cruz are keeping their options open, but the early jockeying underscores the fluid nature of the Republican race ahead of 2028. With the midterms just weeks away, both men are using their campaign trails to build goodwill and test messages that could resonate in a presidential primary.
