Who's running in 2028

Vance grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and Jackson, Kentucky, served in the Marines, and became widely known for his 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy. He won Ohio's Senate seat in 2022 and was elected vice president as Donald Trump's running mate in 2024.

Served our country. Enlisted in the Marines after high school (2003–2007) and deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent. Thank you for your service.

• Elected to the U.S. Senate from Ohio in 2022
• Elected vice president on the 2024 Republican ticket
• Cast the tie-breaking Senate vote that passed the 2025 tax and spending law

The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio served in the Florida House, rising to speaker, before three terms in the U.S. Senate. He ran for president in 2016 and became secretary of state in 2025.

• Confirmed as secretary of state by a 99–0 Senate vote in January 2025
• Also named acting national security adviser in 2025
• Ran for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination

A Navy veteran and former congressman, DeSantis was elected governor of Florida in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. He ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and withdrew before the New Hampshire primary.

Served our country. Navy JAG officer from 2004, deployed to Iraq in 2007 as a legal adviser to a SEAL team; later served in the Navy Reserve. Thank you for your service.

• Re-elected governor in 2022 by about 19 points
• Signed Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act (2022)
• Ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination

A former Texas solicitor general who argued cases before the Supreme Court, Cruz won his Senate seat in 2012. He finished second to Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primaries after winning the Iowa caucuses.

• Won the 2016 Iowa caucuses and finished second for the nomination
• Spoke for 21 hours on the Senate floor against the Affordable Care Act (2013)
• Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee since 2025

A former private-equity executive, Youngkin won Virginia's governorship in 2021 in his first run for office. Virginia limits governors to one consecutive term, and his ended in January 2026.

• First Republican elected governor of Virginia since 2009
• Signed about $4 billion in tax cuts in his first budget (2022)
• Former co-CEO of The Carlyle Group

The eldest son of President Donald Trump, he helped run the family real-estate business and became one of his father's most prominent campaign surrogates. He has never held elected office.

• Executive vice president of The Trump Organization
• Campaigned nationally for his father in 2016, 2020 and 2024
• Joined the investment firm 1789 Capital as a partner in 2024

A builder and small-business owner from Athens, Kemp served as Georgia's secretary of state before winning the governorship in 2018. He was re-elected in 2022, and his second term ends in January 2027.

• Re-elected governor in 2022 by about 7.5 points
• Signed Georgia's Election Integrity Act (2021)
• Chaired the Republican Governors Association in 2025

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was South Carolina's first woman governor and later ambassador to the United Nations. She was the last major challenger to Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primaries.

• First woman elected governor of South Carolina
• Signed the 2015 law removing the Confederate flag from the State House grounds
• Won the 2024 Republican primaries in Washington, D.C. and Vermont

A former law professor and Supreme Court clerk, Hawley was elected Missouri attorney general in 2016 and won his Senate seat in 2018. He has focused on big tech, trade and workers' issues.

• Elected Missouri attorney general in 2016
• Defeated an incumbent senator to win his seat in 2018
• Co-sponsored the bipartisan Railway Safety Act after the 2023 East Palestine derailment

A biotech entrepreneur and author, Ramaswamy ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and withdrew after the Iowa caucuses. He then ran for governor of Ohio in 2026.

• Founded the drug developer Roivant Sciences in 2014
• Ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination
• Ran for governor of Ohio in 2026