Vance talks 2028, Ted Cruz and a tough midterm climate that could affect his future

Vice President JD Vance conceded that Republicans are in for a difficult midterm season and said the November 3 results will feed into his thinking about a 2028 presidential bid. In an NBC News interview aboard Air Force Two, he noted that the party holding the White House, Senate and House rarely finds elections easy, though he sensed some cautious optimism that polling is shifting in the GOP's favor. Whatever happens, he said, there will be new information to weigh, but he declined to dwell on hypotheticals.

Vance had just returned from Lakeland, Florida, where he rallied for Sen. Ashley Moody and gubernatorial nominee Rep. Byron Donalds. Polls show President Donald Trump and the Iran war are unpopular, gas prices are up, and voters are increasingly wary of artificial intelligence and data centers. Vance, 42, has long said his priority is the vice presidency and the midterms, with any 2028 choice coming afterward.

He dismissed Sen. Ted Cruz, who recently told MS NOW that Vance has no lock on the nomination. Vance said Cruz is plainly running for president while he is not.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News →