Presidential Election Of 2028

Speculation On Long Shot Democratic Presidential Contenders For 2028

With speculation about the future Presidential Election of 2028 heating up, as we near the Midterm Congressional and Gubernatorial Elections of 2026, Reid J. Epstein of the NY Times published on May 13 an exhaustive list of potential contenders in both parties, totaling the “crazy” number of 62 individuals—30 Democrats and 32 Republicans.

This author and blogger thinks this massive list is “off the wall”, and that the vast number of these potential 62 contenders will never even announce a Presidential candidacy.

However,there are some who are intriguing on the Democratic Party side.

Newcomers who have to prove themselves by winning in November

James Talarico of Texas, Senate
Graham Platner of Maine, Senate
Rob Sand of Iowa, Governor

Democrats in office who would be fascinating candidates

Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Senator
Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Senator
Jason Crow of Colorado, House of Representatives

Realistically, of the above list, the only likely contenders who would announce for President would be Slotkin and Ossoff.

However, there is speculation that Talarico, who has really inspired and excited many about his prospects, could end up running for Vice President, as after all, Vice President JD Vance only had one and a half years in office as Ohio Senator, before being tapped for the Vice Presidency.

And also, Barack Obama announced for President only two years after winning his Illinois Senate seat, and became President after four years of service.

Marco Rubio Rises As JD Vance Falls In Image

This author and blogger has never been overly impressed or thrilled with former Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is now Secretary of State and National Security Adviser for President Donald Trump.

But I have also said to my friends that Rubio is the “best” person surrounding Donald Trump in his second term, whether one agrees with everything he says or has done.

Rumors are spreading that Rubio may gain the backing of Trump to be his successor, which is a double edged sword, over Vice President JD Vance.

Of course, if Trump leaves office during this term, and his physical and mental health are questionable, Vance would become the 48th President.

But the fact that Rubio held a comparatively impressive press conference with the news media, and came across as rational and reasonable, something not seen in this second Trump Presidency, is going to fuel rumors about the future.

Rubio came across as more forthcoming and pleasant, unlike the hostility of other Trump Cabinet members, and President Trump, toward the press.

Regarding personality and public presence, Rubio wins out easily over the awkward, often unpleasant, stilted Vance.

Rubio is going off to see Pope Leo XIV and the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after recent disputes between both leaders and Donald Trump, seen by many as “fence mending”.

In the world of Donald Trump, Marco Rubio seems to have risen in esteem, but of course, if Rubio gains too much positive reputation, it could also backfire.

There has been a sense that Rubio, who has been very quiet publicly until now, has been uncomfortable about many issues, at least if one observes and analyzes body language.

It will be interesting to see what occurs after Rubio has visited Italy later this week.

Trump Public Opinion Negatives At All Time High!

The newly revealed Washington Post public opinion polls on Donald Trump mark an all time high of negatives on both the economy and foreign policy.

Disapproval numbers are as follows:

His job as President 62 percent
Cost of Living in the US 76 percent
inflation 72 percent
The Situation with Iran 66 percent
Relations with US Allies 65 percent
The Economy 65 percent
Taxes 61 percent
Immigration 59 percent
US Mexico Border Situation 54 percent
End to Birthright Citizenship 65 percent
Reductions in Federal Funding for Medical Research 78 percent
Raise Defense Budget from $1 Trillion to $1.5 Trillion 65 percent
End Temporary Legal Status For Migrants From Conflict Ridden Countries 59 percent
Trump’s Mental Acuity 59 percent
Trump’s Physical Health 55 percent
Trump Not Honest and Trustworthy 71 percent
Trump Does Not Carefully Consider Important Decisions 67 percent
Trump Not A Strong Leader 54 percent

Trump Cabinet
RFK Jr Net Negative 19
Kash Patel Net Negative 19
Pete Hegseth Net Negative 17
Vice President JD Vance Net Negative 13
Marco Rubio Net Negative 7
Jerome Powell Net Positive 7

However, Democrats still have problems having Americans trust them, with many voters feeling the party is too “liberal”, which makes the problem of who is the best candidate for Democrats in 2028 problematical.

Motivating Americans to vote, including millions who did not vote in 2024, will be the major issue that decides the Midterm Elections of 2026. And Independents, and young voters, will be crucial factors.

On a generic ballot, Democrats at present have a five point edge, but whether that will hold or expand in the next six months, is hard to project.

The Internal Battle For The 2028 Republican Presidential Nomination

Once the Midterm Elections of 2026 are over, six months from now, the contest for the 2028 Presidential Election in both political parties will commence in earnest.

Clearly, there will be a multitude of Democratic Presidential nominees, but also, the Republican Party battle for who will succeed the most divisive President in American history will be very intense.

Vice President JD Vance, in theory, will be the front-runner for the Presidency, with, of course, the growing possibility that he might succeed Trump during the term, due to the rapid mental and physical deterioration that is clear to anyone who has any intelligence and perception.

If Vance ends up in the White House before the Republican National Convention in the summer of 2028, he would become the automatic nominee, as it would become impossible to stop him.

But if he is still Vice President, Vance will face fierce opposition for the succession from at least the following:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
Outgoing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul
Missouri Senator Josh Hawley

Supposedly, Rubio has declared he would not challenge Vance, but that is not a statement that can be taken at face value at this point.

Ted Cruz could end up on the Supreme Court if either Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito retire, leaving a vacancy on the Court.

DeSantis might end up in the Trump Cabinet as a replacement for the Defense Department or some other Cabinet position, once he leaves the Florida Governorship in January.

Rand Paul seems highly likely, as a libertarian and a critic of much of what Trump represents, to announce for President, but he also would face Senate reelection in 2028, if he fails to do well in early primaries in 2028.

Hawley is more of a long shot, but also could decide to contest the nomination.

There could be other potential contenders, but at this point, the best bet would be on either Vance or Rubio.

Since Vance is known to have opposed the Iran War, this is a very difficult time for him as the heir apparent, awkward when one learns that many of those around Donald Trump are suspicious of him, supposedly including White House Chief of Staff Suzie Wiles, who has a great impact on the President.

Vance cannot be fired, however, although, in theory, he could resign at some point, but that would be a long shot, not likely.

If one had to perceive the future, the scenario could be that Rubio would have the edge in the mind of Donald Trump, even though perceptions of Rubio show a grim appearance, indicating a feeling of discomfort as Rubio has, seemingly, abandoned his former foreign policy views, including support of Ukraine against Russia, to accommodate Trump.

Growing Rivalry Between Trump And Vance Not New In Presidential-Vice Presidential Historical Relationships!

With the competition for the 2028 Presidential Election just months away, beginning after the Midterm Elections of 2026 this November, a growing rivalry between President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance is becoming quite evident.

As Vance plans to run for President, if he does not succeed by use of the 25th Amendment or Trump’s passing, it is clear that Trump has distanced himself from Vance, as Vance is the so called “dove” in his administration, who was not really supportive of the Iran War, which Vance is now working to try to resolve.

The history of Presidential-Vice Presidential relationships is rife with rivalries and tensions, including

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr
John Quincy Adams and John C. Calhoun
Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun
James Buchanan and John C. Breckinridge
Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin
Theodore Roosevelt and Charles W. Fairbanks
Woodrow Wilson and Thomas Marshall
Calvin Coolidge and Charles G. Dawes
Franklin D. Roosevelt and John Nance Garner
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Henry A. Wallace
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon
John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson and Hubert Humphrey
Bill Clinton and Al Gore
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney
Donald Trump and Mike Pence

Realize that in the history of the Vice Presidency, only four Vice Presidents succeeded the President they served under:

John Adams after George Washington
Thomas Jefferson after John Adams
Martin Van Buren after Andrew Jackson
George H. W. Bush after Ronald Reagan

So the challenge for JD Vance to succeed Donald Trump by election, not succession, will be a long shot in the record of history!

Only John C. Breckinridge in 1860; Henry A. Wallace in 1948; Richard Nixon in 1960 and then 1968 (out of office); Hubert Humphrey in 1968; Walter Mondale in 1984 (out of office); Al Gore in 2000; Joe Biden in 2020 (out of office); and Kamala Harris in 2024, have been able to be the nominee of the party they served under as Vice President, and with only Nixon and Biden making it to the White House belatedly!

Analysis Of Potential Democratic Presidential Contenders In 2028, But Who Are The Likely Serious Contenders?

We are months away from the true beginning of the 2028 Presidential race, which will be in full blossom the day after the Midterm Elections take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

However, already, there are clearcut signs of activities and planning moving ahead, with the strong likelihood that we might see an overwhelming number of Democrats announcing for President, with the number possibly as high as in the mid 20s, similar to several past Presidential campaigns.

Many contenders will not be taken seriously, but even announcing for President gains lots of publicity and attention for any future ambitions.

At this point, the following ten potential contenders for the White House on the Democratic side, would seem to be the following in no specific order:

California Governor Gavin Newsom
Illinois Governor JD Pritzker
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear
Maryland Governor Wes Moore
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker
Former Vice President Kamala Harris (California)

There is speculation about a wide variety of other potential candidates.

Other seen as far less likely include:

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff
Hawaii Governor Josh Green
Colorado Governor Jared Polis
Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock

Those from the House of Representatives mentioned, although never has a member of the lower house of Congress been nominated, with the one exception of James A. Garfield, for the Republicans in 1880, while also a candidate for the US Senate, which he won on the same day he won the White House, are:

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
California Congressman Ro Khanna

From outside government, those mentioned include

Stephen A. Smith, sports media personality
Jon Stewart, commedian and commentator
Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur and Television Personality
Rahm Emanuel, former Ambassador to Japan and Mayor of Chicago

At this point, the odds would be very great that one of the first group of ten would be the nominee.

However, within that group, “negative” factors could be that

Kamala Harris is African American, Asian American, and female

Wes Moore and Cory Booker are African American

JD Pritzker and Josh Shapiro are Jewish

Pete Buttigieg is gay

Only Gavin Newsom, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, and Chris Murphy would be seen as “traditional” contenders, meaning they are white male and straight, a sad commentary on America, that one even needs to mention that being a woman, or African American, or Jewish, or gay, is outside the so called “mainstream” of American politics in the past!

If we analyzed the remaining listed potential candidates for the Democrats, it would show the following:

Female—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gretchen Whitmer, Elissa Slotkin

African American or Asian American—Raphael Warnock, Stephen A. Smith, Ro Khanna

Latino American—Ruben Gallego, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Jewish—Elissa Slotkin, Jon Ossoff, Josh Green, Jared Polis, Jon Stewart, Mark Cuban, Rahm Emanuel

Gay—Jared Polis

So in conclusion, IF these various distinguishing factors are seen as detrimental in a Presidential campaign, then the choice that is left is only:

Gavin Newsom, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, Chris Murphy

Emergence Of Anti Iran War MAGA Republicans Could Affect Midterm Elections Of 2026, And Presidential Election Of 2028!

Now that the United States is in Week Two of the Iran War, and with the son of the late Ayatollah being annointed his successor, it seems clear that America is on the road to a long, massive, expensive, disastrous intervention in the Middle East, without any certainty of success, similar to the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

And opposition is starting to emerge, from many so called MAGA Republicans, against the military intervention, some of it openly, and some of it behind the scenes.

Openly critical individuals this early include:

Tucker Carlson
Steve Bannon
Marjorie Taylor Greene, former Congresswoman from Georgia
Thomas Massie, Congressman from Kentucky
Rand Paul, Senator from Kentucky

Behind the scenes, based on past views about military intervention, and support of “isolationism” expressed, would include the following:

Vice President JD Vance
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard

The latter two are being very quiet at this point, but their past record of viewpoints clashes with what Donald Trump, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and apparently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio are promoting.

So there could be a battle brewing for the future of the Republican Party, based on what happens in the midterms, and as the Republican Party starts to look at its future direction.

It is hard to imagine Vance openly breaking with his party and his “boss”, the President of the United States, but it is perceived by many that had Vice President Kamala Harris expressed more differences with her “boss”, Joe Biden, possibly, the result in the Presidential Election of 2024 might have been different.

If Vance was to “break” with Trump, he still would be Vice President, but it would encourage Marco Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, and others to challenge him for the Presidential nomination in 2028.

Of course, IF Vance became President by succession, and therefore, would be a sitting President, it would be much more difficult for a rebellion by MAGA Republicans to succeed against him.

Most certainly, the future of the Republican Party with the upcoming Presidential Election of 2028, is very much a fluid situation, and very difficult to project what will occur down the road!

Trump’s Women Cabinet Members The Worst Combination EVER Of Any President!

There have been 72 Women Cabinet Officers since the first one, Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins (1933-1946) was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and continued in the early months of the Presidency of Harry Truman, therefore the longest serving woman Cabinet officer.

Some have been outstanding in their performance, with only the first two being appointed before 1975. Jimmy Carter was the first to have multiple women appointments. Bill Clinton was the first to have five such appointments, and George W. Bush had six, while Barack Obama had eight, which Donald Trump has matched between his first term and the first year of his second term.

Some have been really outstanding and exceptional, while many have been at least noncontroversial.

But Donald Trump, particularly in his second term, has three such Cabinet members who are outrageously horrific, arrogant, nasty, confrontational, divisive, and many other possible negative images.

These are:

Pam Bondi, Attorney General
Kristi Noem, Secretary of Health And Human Services
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence

All three have caused outrage, and demands that they resign, be fired, or be impeached, a level of fury never seen before!

Bondi and Noem have appeared before committees in the House of Representatives and Senate, and have infuriated legislators, mostly Democrats, but also some Republicans, with their refusal to take responsibility for their blunders and errors.

The fact that Pam Bondi has NOT apologized to victims of Jeffrey Epstein, and has slow walked releasing many of the Epstein records; and Noem has refused to apologize for the horrific ICE murder of Rene Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, and labeling them “domestic terrorists”, has caused great outrage.

And Gabbard, as Director of National Intelligence, has been engaged in activities not her position, including interfering in yet another outrageous investigation of the Georgia vote in the Presidential Election of 2020, a sign of the desire of Donald Trump to interfere in the upcoming Midterm Elections of 2026 and the Presidential Election of 2028.

These women Cabinet Officers have no shame and no goal except to be total sycophants to Donald Trump, and all three should be forced out of office by resigning, being fired, or being impeached!

Complete Reversal On Foreign Wars By Trump, Vance, Tulsi Gabbard And Others, Infuriating MAGA Republicans!

In a time when America is at war with Iran, it has become clear that Donald Trump has completely reversed his earlier “isolationist” view on foreign policy and engaging in wars, which was a major part of his appeal in the Presidential Election of 2024.

Not only has Trump reversed, but Vice President JD Vance made clear his similar isolationist views while in the Senate from Ohio in 2023.

Also, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, formerly a Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii, expressed similar views when a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination for the Presidential Election of 2020.

This reality has alienated many MAGA Republicans, including former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon, both controversial commentators of right wing ideology.

Whether this will have an effect among MAGA Republican voters in the Midterm Elections of 2026 and the Presidential Election of 2028 is unpredictable.

Major Political Split Emerging Regarding US-Israel War On Iran

The decision of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to wage war on Iran is causing a major political split.

The fact that Trump and his Cabinet did not consult with Congress up front and ask for backing through the War Powers Act of 1973;

that Trump has lied about the so called “imminent” threat Iran presented to American national security;

that Trump and his Cabinet chose not to be interviewed by news media this weekend after the first day of military action;

that Trump has totally reversed his former stand against getting involved in military interventions as a critic of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars in the past;

that anger is rising among the general public, as early polls show only 25 percent of those polled support the intervention;

that Trump seemed not to have much empathy about the loss of life of military personnel, when he personally avoided military service by claiming “bone spurs”;

all this and more is creating a major political crisis that is unlikely to go away anytime soon, and the prospect of greatly increased oil prices as a result of the widening Middle East War, with other nations in the area being drawn into it, adds to the complicated crisis.

Already, within his party, Trump has angered Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie; former Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who was a MAGA supporter, and also, commentator Tucker Carlson, and this is just the beginning, in less than 48 hours after the war has begun.

At the same time, while most Democrats are opposed to the war, some are supportive, causing a split in that political party as well, including

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
Congressman Jared Moskowitz of Florida
Congressman Tom Suozzi of New York
Congressman Greg Landsman of Ohio
Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas

The fact that some Democrats are supportive of the war means when and if a War Powers Resolution comes up for a vote, it could undermine the ability to gain a majority of support for such action.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made clear on Monday morning, the third day of the war, that there would be no holding back on the war effort, creating a likely constitutional crisis as Donald Trump and company pursue their goals in league with Israel, despite the fact that diplomacy was in process, and had not been given a full chance to work.

So the image of Donald Trump, “The Dove”, which caused many MAGA Republicans in the voting population to support him in 2024, is in tatters.

A major political division is likely to grow wider as the war continues, without any assurance of avoiding disarray in an area of the world notable for instability.

That only complicates the issue of what will happen politically in the Midterm Elections of 2026 and the Presidential Election of 2028.

And the announcement by Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom that the British government is not in support of the war, and believe in a negotiated settlement, is a stunning blow to the mission pursued by Trump and Netanyahu. It is highly unusual, that our closest ally in Europe would come out openly in the House of Commons and criticize and refuse support of the war effort.

Donald Trump has made clear in his press conference that there is the possibility of ground troops being sent into combat in the Middle East if that is seen as necessary.

So it seems potentially possible that America could be engaging in what will become a major long term conflict, similar to what occurred in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, further dividing and complicating American politics in the near term and long term!