GOP insiders seem to have their sights set on who they think should run for president in 2028 after taking a drubbing in the midterms, according to a new Axios report.
Following the midterms, all GOP eyes seem to be focused on Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are creating “sudden volatility” in what the report described as a “way-too-early GOP preprimary campaign to succeed President Trump.” Rubio’s name has been consistently mentioned as a potential 2028 candidate, although he has said he plans to “stay put” and finish out his term in the State Department, Axios reported.
“The alligator people are stirring,” one national Republican consultant with extensive Florida experience told Axios.
Rubio’s mention in 2028 discussions seems like an obvious response to the 2026 midterm results. After making historic inroads with Latino voters during the 2024 presidential election, the Trump administration drove away a large swath of that coalition with its aggressive immigration agenda.
There is one looming obstacle for a potential Rubio candidacy: Vice President JD Vance. Trump has privately told some donors to back Vance, although he has not yet fully endorsed his vice president, The Washington Post reported.
The report also noted that Rubio’s phone “blew up” on election night, telling him to run for president again. Rubio previously ran during the 2016 cycle, when Trump won the first time.
“There was this sense of ‘We lost the Latino vote, you can get it back, etc.,’” said another insider to Axios. “To some people, Rubio seemed to entertain the idea for the first time. Or he didn’t shut it down fast enough.”
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