New Orleans Joe Biden has now made his farewell speech as President. Donald Trump will be inaugurated within days as the next President of the United States. All of this means so many things, but one thing is certain, whether in the headlines or not, is that the campaign for president in 2028 also begins now. Trump will be sworn in as a lame duck president who is barred by the Constitution from seeking a third term. With his countdown in office for four years, will also come the timeline for candidates from both major parties and the score of minor ones to get on the hustings and suit up.
On the Republican side, Vice President J. D. Vance will obviously be in the catbird seat with increased visibility and exposure at all levels and travel paid for by the federal government, both domestically and internationally. His task is whether he can continue to foist himself off as a Trump acolyte sufficient to keep the old man’s support, but more diluted, so that he could attract voters outside of the MAGA circle. Some believe that Donald, Jr. is a prospect in some weird inheritance of the Donald the first’s base. I’m doubtful. Trump has proven himself to be sui generis without any evidence of coattails to elect others to office.
There will be others. Florida Senator Marc Rubio, soon to be Secretary of State, might be attractive to some. He was obsequious enough to survive to win a big plum in this job seeking contest. As Secretary of State, he will be the highest-ranking Latino in federal government history, and could seem attractive in continuing to lure that constituency to the Republicans. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis despite his poor showing in 2024, likely is still licking his wounds and dreaming of the White House. With his arch-enemy Susie Wiles now the Chief of Staff and determined to remain in that job for the entire four years, he can’t count on any help from the White House. He doesn’t have a shot.
On the Democratic side, California Governor Newsom is frequently mentioned, but might be too easy a target over the coming years to put together the needed coalition of voter support. Although she’s become invisible since the election, Vice-President Kamala Harris should stay on any list for this horse race, despite all of the naysaying now about the impossibility of electing a woman to the office. There continues to be a lot of spin in the direction of two critical state governors, Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer. Some tout Kentucky’s governor Andy Brashear, but I can’t see how he can get national enough. I read something interesting about Arizona’s incoming Senator Rueben Gallego that underscored how well be polled in winning, including being way ahead of Harris, and obviously appealing to a growing and significant demographic that will attract attention in the Trump deportation madness.
Who knows what will shake out over the next four years, but I guarantee from now on this will be a constant item in the news of the day, because the race is now officially going to be o