Vance’s Midterm Campaign Doubles as an Early Look at 2028

Vice President JD Vance has campaigned across the country for Republican candidates in the final weeks before the midterms. Allies see it as groundwork for a likely 2028 run. Here’s what he’s saying, where he’s going, and where the 2028 picture stands.

By Quinn BallardPublished

As of November 1, 2026. Election Day is November 3.

Vice President JD Vance has kept a heavy campaign schedule in the final weeks before the midterms, rallying for Republican candidates in competitive Senate and governor’s races. Republican strategists and donors see the travel as useful preparation for a likely 2028 presidential run, though Vance says his focus is on the midterms and he’ll decide after the election.

On the trail

Vance’s closing schedule has included stops in Kansas, Montana, North Carolina and Texas, The Hill reported. He’s also traveled the country as head of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

Texas. Vance held his third Texas rally in a month on October 29 in Weatherford, west of Fort Worth, after earlier stops in Harlingen and Tyler. He urged voters to back Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate race and attacked Democrat James Talarico, accusing him of a “weird obsession with trans kids” and telling the crowd Texas wouldn’t surrender to the left. Talarico has accused Republicans of using culture-war issues to distract from rising prices.

Vance also drew on his own story, describing himself as a product of the American Dream who grew up in Appalachia.

Ohio and New York. On Monday, the day before the election, Vance is scheduled to campaign in his home state of Ohio for the Republican candidates for Senate and governor, and to hold a rally in Rome, New York. Republicans are trying to hold the open seat in New York’s 21st District, which Rep. Elise Stefanik is leaving and Democrats have targeted. [CHECK: Rome itself is in NY-22 under current lines, per Cook Political Report; confirm which district the rally targets and Cook’s current NY-21 rating.]

Moments that drew criticism

  • At a Fox News town hall in Texas, before answering a question about young people’s ability to afford homes, Vance joked that he’d been asked only one question about a crude remark Trump had recently made about Sen. Jon Husted. Critics on the left called the response tone-deaf.
  • In Ohio, Vance defended Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother, which Trump also backed. Democrats and some Republicans criticized the ad.

Vance faces a challenge common to vice presidents: keeping the loyalty of the president’s base while not being tied too closely to unpopular administration policies.

What Republicans are saying

Republican donor Dan Eberhart told The Hill that Vance is preparing for a run and building goodwill with candidates, while noting that he doesn’t draw Trump-sized crowds. A Republican strategist said the midterm calendar gives Vance valuable experience at the national level while helping candidates in key races.

Ohio Republican strategist Chris Johnson said vice presidents are usually limited by the president’s agenda, but that Vance has been most effective when given room to speak in his own voice. Johnson also pointed to Vance’s age, 42, and his popularity with young conservatives.

Some Republicans caution that a bad election night could reshape the 2028 field. One strategist said any talk of an “heir apparent” could be “thrown out the window” if the party loses badly, and that Vance would have to earn the nomination.

Where the 2028 picture stands

  • Vance told Mark Halperin’s 2WAY in October that he hasn’t decided whether to run but believes Trump would endorse him if he did. The next day, asked about it in the Oval Office, Trump said the two had never discussed it and that the focus was on the midterms. The Washington Post reported in August that Trump had privately told donors he wanted Vance to succeed him.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio, also seen as a potential candidate, said in September that he has “no plans at this time” to run, and has said he’d support Vance if Vance runs. Trump has floated the two running together. [CHECK: The Hill says Rubio repeated the “no plans” line on Oct. 31; confirm.]
  • Vance has topped straw polls at gatherings of Republican activists. The first test with actual voters would be the Iowa caucuses in early 2028.

Sources

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