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Secretary of State Marco Rubio views Vice President JD Vance as the leading contender for the GOP nomination in 2028 — and would back him if he chooses to run, according to a new report. “Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be,” an unnamed source close to the former Florida senator told Politico. “He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort.” Several other sources, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations, shared the same sentiment. The comments come less than one year into President Donald Trump’s second term, suggesting political insiders are wasting no time in preparing for the future of the MAGA movement. Trump himself — who recently appeared to dismiss the idea of seeking a third term — repeatedly lists Vance and Rubio as the two men most likely to succeed him. Both are key power players in Trump’s administration and close personal friends, who insist their relationship is defined by cooperation, not competition. “No one expects Marco to resign from the Cabinet and start taking potshots at the sitting vice president,” a second source told Politico. “Beyond that, they’re friends.” Meanwhile, a third source familiar with White House discussions said the “expectation is JD as [nominee] and Rubio as VP,” according to the outlet. When asked about his possible successors on Air Force One in late October, Trump named the vice president and secretary of state, who briefly served in the Senate together before joining the administration. “I’m not sure if anybody would run against those two,” the president told reporters. “I think if they ever formed a group it would be unstoppable.” Vance said in a recent podcast that the president has also privately floated a Vance-Rubio ticket for 2028. “The president first raised this with me probably six months or so ago during just, you know, one of our private lunches,” the former Ohio senator said. “It feels so premature, because we're still so early. And what I always say to people is, if we take care of business, the politics will take care of itself.” Vance has also spoken highly of Rubio — who previously ran for president in 2016 — describing him as his “best friend in the administration.” In another podcast, he said the two men share a sweet tooth and crack jokes together. Rubio, who in addition to being the nation’s top diplomat, serves as national security advisor, told Fox News that Vance “would be a great nominee.” According to recent polls, Vance is also the most well-positioned among the American public to carry forward Trump’s legacy. A strong majority of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 65 percent, said they would consider voting for Vance in the 2028 GOP primary, according to a September YouGov survey. Trailing the vice president were Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (40 percent), Donald Trump Jr. (37 percent) and Rubio (33 percent). And, in an October Center Square survey, 38 percent of Republicans said that, if the 2028 GOP primary were held today, they would cast their ballot for Vance. Just 4 percent said the same for Rubio. The Independent has reached out to both Vance and Rubio for comment.
