Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had no trouble getting his name in the political spotlight during a busy week far from activity in the state’s capital.
“Now is the time for action, and it’s time for Washington, D.C., to deliver results for the American people. There are no more excuses for the Republican Party,” said the two-term conservative governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate. he said Thursday, citing Florida State by name. Attorney General Ashley Moody will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate.
Two days earlier, President-elect Trump called on his former leading Republican opponent after the governor called for a special state legislative session to implement Trump’s anticipated immigration crackdown. sent.
“Thank you Ron. I hope other governors follow suit!” the president-elect said in a social media post.
While Vance is the early frontrunner, here are other Republicans who could run for president in 2028:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Utah Governor Spencer Cox speak before President-elect Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on January 9, 2025. AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
With a rise in national profile over the past four years, the governor of one of the most important states in the country is likely to remain in the headlines for years to come, taking the lead on some of the country’s most critical issues. is high.
The spotlight could help DeSantis if he ends up running for a second consecutive Republican presidential nomination in 2028. In this race, soon-to-be Vice President J.D. Vance is seen as the clear heir to America First and MAGA, and may be considered the early frontrunner. Mr. Trump.
“He needs to do the same thing he did in 2022, which is pick the good fight, and he’s shown plenty of ability to fight the good fight with the left both in Florida and across the country,” said David, a longtime Republican strategist.・Mr. Kochel talked about DeSantis.
RNC chairman says Republicans are preparing a ‘deep bench’ for 2028
“He’s going to be in high demand in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina,” said Kochel, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns. We have made predictions for three important states.
“I don’t think it would be much different than how he prepared for his 2024 campaign. The problem is that he basically ran against a sitting president. He didn’t have the wrong strategy. No, I had the wrong cycle.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis holds press conference with emergency officials as hurricane hits Florida, Oct. 9, 2024 (AP)
Initial moves toward the 2028 White House race are likely to begin in the coming months, including early state visits, but most Americans expect the next presidential campaign to officially begin midway through 2026. They won’t pay attention until the election is over. . And when that happens, Mr. DeSantis will be completing his second and final four-year term at the helm of Florida, allowing him to focus 100% on his bid for the White House.
But what about another prominent Republican governor who likely has national ambitions in 2028?
Here are the Democrats who could run for the White House in 2028
Governor Glenn Youngkin will lose his job in Richmond within a year because the Virginia Constitution does not allow incumbent governors to run for two consecutive terms.
DeSantis also has a Republican majority in the state Legislature, which allows him to continue enacting conservative policies, but Virginia is a purple state with Democrats holding a slight majority in the Legislature.
Mr. Kocher suggested that for Mr. Youngkin, who is stepping down after a year, “it might be a little difficult to find a way to stay in the news.”
However, Younkin predicted, “We will meet often.”
“For the past 14 months, I’ve been planning very aggressively for the governorship,” he said in a November interview on Fox News Digital. “But part of the agenda that I have is to make sure that we [Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears will be the next governor. [Virginia Attorney General] Jason Miyares is back as attorney general and super lieutenant governor to choose from in the primary. ”
Yonkin, who energized the Republican Party nationwide as the first candidate from the business community in 2021, defeated former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe and won the gubernatorial election in a one-time swing, becoming the first Republican candidate in more than a decade. became a person. The state has trended Democratic over the past decade. He could also join the Trump administration after his term in Richmond expires in a year.
“When I called the president, I told him I wanted to finish my term and that I was always available to help him during his term as governor and beyond,” Youngkin told FOX News Digital. He met with President Trump immediately after the November election.
But if he doesn’t join the Trump administration, Youngkin’s other route to staying in the spotlight in 2026 would be crisscrossing the country representing fellow Republicans running in the midterm elections. Dew. This is the role Youngkin will play in 2022, supporting fellow Republican governors and gubernatorial candidates.
“He has to stop and act, he has to go state by state and support a lot of candidates and raise a lot of money for them. He has to elect a lot of governors,” Kochel said. “It must be done,” he suggested. “That’s his strategy.”
What about Nikki Haley, Trump’s final rival in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, a former two-term Republican governor of South Carolina and a former ambassador to the United Nations during Trump’s first administration?
Former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will speak at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 17, 2024. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
Haley, who has resigned from office and been shut out of Trump’s world while still facing social media provocation from the president-elect, is unlikely to be able to attract attention should she seek the presidency again. It may become more difficult for him to rise again within the party in a bent state. And a future president.
Haley, who has a weekly national radio show on SiriusXM, said this a few weeks ago. [Trump’s] cabinet. “
But a lot can happen in the two years until the next White House election officially begins. If the new government fails to realize some of its goals, there could be buy-side remorse among voters.
“Right now, J.D. Vance is starting as the front-runner, but he’s a million miles away,” veteran Republican strategist Colin Reed told Fox News.
Kochel also told some Republicans considering a 2028 presidential run: “I don’t think it’s a bad idea to strategically distance yourself a little bit, because we don’t know what’s going to happen over the next two years.” The body,” he added.
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But holding a statewide office as governor or senator does not guarantee favorable coverage.
“Having a day job helps both ways. It gives you a platform, a megaphone, and the ability to make news whenever you want. But it also gives you a platform, a megaphone, and the ability to make news whenever you want, whether it’s in Congress or not. It also comes with the responsibility of governing, legislating, or being part of a government agency, or in the state in which you operate, things can go wrong and end up getting to you and political favors. It could be a package,” Reed said.
“There are many officials throughout history who ran for a second term and won, but their domestic political baggage caused them political headaches during the campaign,” Reed said. I warned you.
Paul Steinhauser is a political reporter based in New Hampshire.
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