‘Draft Marco’ effort grows on Capitol Hill after midterms bloodbath
A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill want to draft Marco Rubio for a 2028 presidential bid as they grapple with their midterms wipeout — and look beyond Vice President JD Vance.
Key points
- Right now, he’s “fully focused on doing his many jobs and isn’t thinking about 2028.” But some Hill Republicans aren’t giving up hope.
- “I’m a big supporter of Marco Rubio, and I’m very excited about the potential of his candidacy,” said Florida Rep.
- The generational losses are sparking new discussions among Hill Republicans about who should lead the party.
However, as the Rubio talk swirls, even some of Trump’s top MAGA allies on Capitol Hill are unwilling to publicly declare Vance the presumptive GOP nominee for 2028.
“No question he’s ready to be president if he chooses to pursue the office.” “Some of us are still hoping we can draft Marco,” said another GOP senator.
Additional details
- Many argue the race to carry the mantle is now wide open — including a faction who view Rubio as a better fit, given that voters may continue to tie Vance to the president’s unpopularity, interviews with roughly two dozen GOP lawmakers reveal.
- Rubio himself this week has stood by Trump’s decision to go to war against Iran and told reporters Monday he was “just not going to talk about 2028 anymore.” A person close to Rubio said the secretary of State is the only person who knows what he will do regarding a presidential bid.
- In reaction to Stutzman’s comments, a Vance ally argued that Stutzman has been one of the biggest supporters within the GOP of amnesty for unauthorized immigrants for over a decade — and that he was likely never going to support Vance, who is extremely hawkish on border security.
- “I think Rubio is our best hope to lead Republicans out of this wilderness, and I hope he makes his break from Trump and JD early next year,” said one House Republican in the wake of the election.
- The openness toward Rubio — or any other candidate that’s not Vance — is a complication for the vice president, who was picked by Trump for the role that’s next in line to the presidency.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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