With former President and current President-elect Donald Trump unable to run for the White House again in 2028, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance is seen as the successor to the America First movement and the Republican Party's strong MAGA base.
This was a point keenly felt by Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of former and future presidents and a staunch ally of the vice president-elect.
“Four more years of Trump and eight more years of J.D. Vance!” Trump Jr. said two weeks ago while campaigning in Ohio.
Mr. Vance, who was elected to the Ohio Senate just two years ago, is likely to be the clear front-runner in the race for the next Republican presidential nomination.
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Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (left) and former President Donald Trump speak during election night celebrations at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The vice president is going to sit in the knotweed seat, there's no question about that,” longtime Republican consultant Dave Carney told Fox News Digital.
Mr. Carney, who has worked on numerous Republican presidential campaigns over the past 40 years, said Mr. Vance is “the man to beat.”
David Kochel, another longtime Republican strategist with extensive presidential campaign experience, told Fox News: “The size and scope of last week's victory and the implied handing over of the torch from Donald Trump.” said Vance is the top candidate.
“There's no shortage of people watching this, but most of the people watching this recognize Trump's victory and the relative strength of the movement,” Kochel said.
In his victory speech late on election night, President Trump noted that he had faced some criticism for nominating Vance as his running mate in July, saying, “It got a little heated at first.” said. However, he emphasized, “In the end, it was a good choice.''
Former President Donald Trump (right) greets his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio), during an election night celebration in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AP/Evan Vucci)
What's more, Trump's support within his own party has a firm grip on the president-elect, making it extremely difficult to defeat the 40-year-old Vance.
However, Kochel said, “No one is going to follow J.D. Vance completely. There will be a contest. There always will be.”
Carney added: “There may be other people who could challenge him (Vance)…There are a lot of people who want to be president, but it would be very difficult in any lane other than Trump Lane.”
He added that the expected four tough years for the Trump-Vance administration will present an “opportunity” for potential Vance challengers.
But he praised the vice president-elect's messaging and accessibility on the campaign trail, saying, “Whether it's been a good four years or a tough four years, he's the guy to beat.”
Carney also emphasized that the Republican Party has a “deep base of members.”
Here are some of the bench members who may have national aspirations and ambitions in 2028 and beyond.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis waves from the podium during the second day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Elizabeth Franz)
Conservative Florida governor was riding high after a landslide 2022 reelection, but a failure in the 2024 presidential primary and a bitter battle with President Trump have left Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' position in jeopardy. has fallen from grace.
But the 46-year-old term-limited governor, who has two years left at Florida's helm, has proven a knack for fundraising over the past few years and has attracted many supporters across the country.
Mr. DeSantis was also able to mend some ties with Mr. Trump, helping raise ticket money for the Republican Party in the general election and winning a prime-time speaking slot at the party's convention in July.
Mr. DeSantis may be eyeing another run for the White House, with Sen. Marco Rubio likely to leave the Senate to become America's top diplomat, but Mr. There is also a possibility that he will run for election.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp speaks to Fox News Digital on June 3, 2024 in Chalmette, Louisiana. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The popular conservative governor is one of the few Republican governors who can claim to have not only survived, but thrived in the face of President Trump's wrath.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has two years left in his term, and enjoys high approval ratings in key battleground states.
As his national profile grows, Kemp, 61, will likely be campaigning for Republicans across the country in 2026.
Governor Glenn Youngkin
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks before Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday, November 2, 2024 in Salem, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Herber)
With his victory in the 2021 gubernatorial race (the first for a Virginia Republican in more than a dozen years), Gov. Glenn Youngkin quickly became a rising star in the Republican Party.
In Virginia, gubernatorial terms are limited to four consecutive years, and Yonkin has one year left in his term.
The 57-year-old governor, who comes from the business wing of the Republican Party but has enjoyed success in MAGA-dominated parties, likely harbors national ambitions.
The first step could be a cabinet position in the second Trump administration after his term as governor ends.
Senator Ted Cruz (Texas)
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with FOX News Digital in Washington, D.C., May 9, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Sen. Ted Cruz was the runner-up to President Trump in the blockbuster 2016 Republican presidential campaign.
The controversial conservative flame monger has announced that he will challenge Trump again in 2024, as the president narrowly survived re-election in 2018 and is running for another term that was thought to be difficult. I saw her off.
But the 53-year-old senator ultimately won a third six-year term in the Senate by nearly nine points.
Senator Tom Cotton (Arkansas)
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is interviewed by Fox News Digital on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 20, 2024. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The veteran, who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and has since become a rising star in Republican politics, was thought to be on Mr. Trump's list of potential vice presidential candidates.
Sen. Tom Cotton, now 47, seriously considered running for the White House in 2024, but decided against it in late 2022, putting his young family ahead of his political ambitions. However, he did not rule out the possibility of running for president in the future.
Cotton is currently running for chairman of the Republican Conference, the third-ranking leadership position in the incoming Senate Republican majority.
Senator Josh Hawley
Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on March 1, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tom Williams)
Along with Cotton, 44-year-old Sen. Josh Hawley is also a rising conservative star in the Senate.
Hawley is also a strong defender of President Trump's America First policy and is considered to have national aspirations.
Former Ambassador Nikki Haley
Former Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley speaks on the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty Images)
The former two-term South Carolina governor, who served as U.N. ambassador during President Trump's first term, is the first Republican challenger to jump into the 2024 nomination race with the former president.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley outperformed other candidates to become the final challenger to Trump, ending her White House bid in March.
Haley, 52, ultimately supported Trump in the general election, but her previous clashes with the president-elect in the primaries left a deep impression on her. Although she addressed Republicans at the convention, her political future within President Trump's majority party is uncertain.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes the stage during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Getty Images)
The conservative first-term governor of Arkansas is a well-known figure in the MAGA world, having served as the longest-serving White House press secretary during President Trump's first administration.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, daughter of former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, also received national attention for her Republican response to President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address. Collected.
Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy gives a thumbs up on stage during the second day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 16, 2024. (Reuters/Brian Snyder)
The billionaire biotech entrepreneur, anti-woke activist and first-time candidate has become one of the biggest surprises in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Vivek Ramaswamy, now 39 years old, touted himself and Trump as the only two “America's No. 1” among the many candidates during the campaign, but ultimately dropped out of the race. Withdrew and became a major supporter and delegate. Former president.
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Other notable names include Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who ran for the nomination in 2016 and could ultimately serve as a top Cabinet member in the second Trump administration. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott remains highly popular despite unsuccessfully running for the 2024 nomination. Florida Sen. Rick Scott and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo both considered running for president in the past cycle but decided not to.
Also not to be ignored are Rep. Byron Donald of Florida, a top Trump supporter, Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, whom President Trump nominated as ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, and Rep. Christy Stefanik of South Dakota. It's Governor Noem.
And then there's Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's eldest son and MAGA warrior. But the younger Trump is so close to Vance that he won't be able to make a bid for the White House next cycle.
Get the latest on the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more with Fox News Digital's Election Hub.
