A group of Republican donors is quietly plotting a ‘draft Rubio’ campaign to prop up the Secretary of State’s fortunes against Vice President JD Vance if the two go head-to-head in the 2028 presidential race.
ABC News reported Monday on the effort, saying that the GOP donors are looking for ways to boost Rubio’s profile following November’s midterm races.
Rubio, 54, isn’t behind the movement, the report made clear, but it’s instead being led by donors and surrogates, who remain anonymous.
The scheme comes as Rubio has become a more prominent face in the administration amid Trump’s war with Iran and after January’s capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.
While Rubio has been in the room, Vance, 41, has been elsewhere – back in Washington when military action began in Iran and kept away from Mar-a-Lago during the Maduro raid, in an effort to keep the Venezuelans in the dark about the mission.
His absence during the first Iran strikes was explained by his office as being for ‘operational secrecy,’ a Vance spokesperson told ABC.
The statement attempted to kill any speculation that Vance, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, was against the Iran strikes after previous criticism of American involvement in wars in the Middle East.
Still, if the war with Iran is rated a success, that could help propel Rubio toward the 2028 nomination – should he decide to seek it.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) has a group of donors who are laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid, which would set the table for a likely GOP nomination fight against Vice President JD Vance (right). Rubio has, so far, suggested he wouldn’t challenge Vance
Rubio, a former US senator from Florida, ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, even briefly mocking the size of the President’s hands and suggesting he had ‘wet’ his pants.
In turn, Trump nicknamed Rubio ‘little Marco’ and called on him to drop out of the race.
But the two men have long ago buried the hatchet, with Trump now referring to Rubio as the ‘greatest Secretary of State in history.’
Behind closed doors, Axios reported, Trump has asked allies and associates the question, ‘Marco or JD?’ as he hasn’t yet made an endorsement in the 2028 race.
While tradition suggests that Trump would pick Vance, Democratic President Barack Obama famously pushed his former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to run in 2016, after the death of Vice President Joe Biden’s son Beau the year before.
Trump’s own 2024 announcement came historically early – a week after the 2022 midterm races wrapped up.
If Vance decided to follow Trump’s trend, he could announce a 2028 bid as early as mid-November.
Rubio has suggested he wouldn’t run against the Vice President, telling Vanity Fair in an interview published in December: ‘If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.’
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) speaks with President Donald Trump (left) at an event in the East Room on Friday. Behind closed doors, Trump has reportedly asked allies whether he should endorse Rubio or Vice President JD Vance in a 2028 match-up
In the Oval Office on Monday, Vice President JD Vance (right) sought to clarify that there’s no daylight between himself and President Donald Trump (left) on the war with Iran, despite previously criticizing US military intervention in the Middle East
But Rubio backers appear undeterred.
The donor class also hasn’t always successfully picked White House nominees.
Many big-money donors flocked to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ahead of his 2024 presidential primary campaign, only for DeSantis to be easily crushed by Trump in early primary states.
Polling from the Daily Mail and JL Partners in February found that Vance continued to be the far-and-away favorite for the 2028 Republican nomination when Republican voters were surveyed.
More than half, 53 percent, picked Vance, while 14 percent selected Rubio.
No other GOP candidates currently poll in the double digits, with Senator Ted Cruz and DeSantis losing ground to Vance and Rubio in the Daily Mail’s February survey.
At the same time, Vance made clear in the Oval Office on Monday that there’s no daylight on Iran between him and the President.
‘I know what you’re trying to do,’ Vance told a reporter who had pointed to his past criticism of adventurism in the Middle East. ‘You’re trying to drive a wedge between members of the administration, between me and the President.’
‘What the President said consistently, going back to 2015, and I agreed with him, is that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. We have taken this military action under the President’s leadership,’ Vance continued. ‘I think all of us, whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, should pray for a success and pray for the safety of our troops – that’s the approach that I’ve taken.’
When asked again if he had any ‘hesitation’ about the military action, Vance again defended Trump’s decision to strike Iran.
‘Well, I think one big difference … is that we have a smart President, whereas in the past we’ve had dumb presidents and I trust President Trump to get the job done, to do a good job for the American people and to make sure that the mistakes of the past aren’t repeated, absolutely,’ Vance said.
