‘I’ll Buy You the Plane Ticket!’ Did Vance Cement Pole Position for 2028?

“We’ve got to take care of business this November,” J.D. Vance warned the audience chanting “48!” as the Vice President rebuked and ridiculed a heckler in the crowd. “Then we’ll worry about what comes next.”

Vance delivered perhaps the best speech of his admittedly brief political career at last night’s GOP Midterm Convention. For nearly 40 minutes, the vice president wove personal stories into policy discussions, charming the audience while sharply defining the GOP’s midterm message: “If you send your crazies,” Vance declared, “we’ll send your asses packing!”

And then, as if by providence, a fool stepped up to the stage to give Vance the perfect opportunity to rally people to that message. A lone protester stepped into the well to wave the Mexican and Palestinian flags while Vance spoke, attempting to disrupt his speech. Vance laughed aloud and set an example that rallied the crowd:

Chants of “USA” broke out as security rushed over to the man who stood not far from the far-left corner of the stage as Vance addressed the jubilant crowd of the MAGA faithful for the GOP midterm convention.

“Well, my friend, if you love Mexico so much, get your ass over there,” Vance quipped as security dragged him away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I had a whole speech written,” the veep continued. “But I think I gotta change it because we just discovered the symbol of the far left: an idiot waving … a Mexican flag at a protest when he should be waving the flag of the United States of America.” …

“And this fall, the Democrats are running candidates who will tell your children what they’re allowed to say, how they’re allowed to live, and, importantly, who they ought to hate,” the veep went on. “Because that’s what the Democrat Party is about in 2026. It’s not about you. It’s about who they hate.”

“It’s about foreign fraudsters, and it’s about who they hate, and we got to send their asses back into November.”

Donald Trump spoke after Vance for about thirty minutes, energizing the crowd as well, clearly enjoying himself while delivering the final exhortation to get the vote out. However, this moment may have provided the emotional peak of the convention – and Vance nailed it, as well as the rest of the speech that followed.

Vance set the priorities in proper order by reminding the crowd that the midterms come first. However, by the time Vance walked off the stage last night, he certainly looked like the leading candidate for the 2028 nomination.

And it’s worth noting that his main presumed competitor, Marco Rubio, chose not to make an appearance at this convention at all. Nominally, Rubio had a busy schedule in Colombia and was working on Western Hemisphere issues, but after Vance’s triumph last night, one has to wonder whether Rubio wanted to absent himself and allow Vance to move into the pole position. Rubio has reportedly made it clear on multiple occasions – once publicly – that he would not run for president in 2028 if Vance chose to enter the ring. Rubio, whose speech this week on communism would have been pitch-perfect for the Midterm Convention, may have sent a signal in his absence that undergirds that subtle endorsement.

The Wall Street Journal sees a similar dynamic, and reports that Trump himself has apparently settled on Vance as the next leader of MAGA. However, he hasn’t given up on Rubio being on the ticket as well:

The moment is likely to solidify Vance’s rising status as the Republican front-runner heading into the 2028 election. “I think the country is really getting to know him,” said Michael Foster, 32, of Raleigh, N.C. “I’d be shocked if he hadn’t sealed the deal tonight. ”

Yet over the duration of the two-day convention, another name also surfaced: Marco Rubio. The secretary of state was more than 3,000 miles away, wrapping up a diplomatic tour of South America. …

Lately, Trump has become fixated on another idea: How to get the two men on the same ticket, considering it unbeatable, according to people familiar with his thinking. Such a move is unlikely, despite Vance and Rubio’s close friendship, allies of both men said, because neither would want to be vice president.

Many convention attendees similarly held out hope that the vice president and cabinet secretary would be running mates, saying their names as though they were one word: VanceRubio. “I love those two guys,” said Sandra Bush, 76, of San Antonio, who was wearing a full-length sequin gown reminiscent of the Texas state flag.

Would Rubio accept the VP nomination? In terms of impact, it would be a step down from his current role as Secretary of State. However, as I discuss with Duane in our upcoming Week in Review episode, there is nothing preventing a VP from also being the Secretary of State, except tradition. If a Vance-Rubio ticket won the election, Rubio would have to be reconfirmed in the role – but that would not likely be a problem in a cycle where such a ticket succeeds. That would allow Rubio to maintain a high-profile role with significant influence, continuity in foreign policy and diplomacy, and perhaps assuage concerns from those worried about the Tucker Carlson question in regard to Vance.

Those who missed the speech live should watch it in full now. Vance has embraced the moment and captured the passion of the convention and the GOP. Right now, it’s tough to see how anyone knocks him out of pole position in the next few months.