Vance: ‘Really Obvious’ Cruz is Running in ’28
By Sandra Rhodes (/journals/sandra-rhodes)
Vice President JD Vance said it was “really obvious” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has plans to run for president in 2028. “It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance said in an interview with NBC News. “At this moment, I’m not. I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing.” Cruz sought the Republican nomination in 2016, but was not successful. He has recently become more open about his interest in the party’s next presidential contest. Vance has emerged as a possible contender at the same time. In an interview with MS Now, Cruz said Vance does not have the 2028 GOP nomination locked down. He added he wants to “certainly be part of the discussion.” Cruz said the party’s future is a choice between a “small-government, free-market conservative party” and a “big-government, nanny state party.” A spokesperson for Cruz, who is not up for reelection until 2030, told NBC News that the senator is focused on helping Republicans in this year’s midterm election and will continue campaigning for GOP candidates over the coming weeks. Vance has maintained that he will wait until after the midterms before deciding whether to run for president. “You make these decisions by collecting as much information and trying to make a wise decision,” Vance said. “And yeah, I mean, regardless of what happens over the next 35 days, there will be new information, new things you have to make a decision over.” Vance did not say if Republican losses in the midterms would affect whether he runs. “The American people make that decision, and when they do, then yeah, I’ll have some new information to consider,” he said. Vance also said Republicans face an “uphill climb” in the November midterms. “Historically there’s always a bit of an uphill climb, and I think you definitely sense that,” Vance said. “I also think you can sense a sense of cautious optimism, in the sense that, you know, people feel like the numbers are sort of moving, maybe in our direction.”