The 2028 scramble is already heating up, and the one thing conservatives should remember is this: the media will crow about chaos while quietly trying to pick a winner for the left. Don’t let their breathless lists of names distract hardworking Americans from what matters — patriotism, border security, common-sense economics, and judges who defend the Constitution. This fight will be won by candidates who actually deliver results, not by hand-wringing pundits or a parade of celebrity names.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s recent appearances in early-state venues have quietly lit a fuse under the 2028 chatter, and he’s trying to cast himself as a practical conservative who can win swing voters. He’s shown he can run on issues like parental rights and school choice, and Republicans should welcome anyone who proves they can expand the map without apologizing for conservative principles. But the party should be crystal clear: charisma without conviction won’t secure lasting victories.
Meanwhile, Vice President J.D. Vance occupies a unique position — elevated to the second-highest office and already discussed as a future contender — but he’s tried to tamp down expectations and insist he isn’t “entitled” to a 2028 bid. That kind of humility can be refreshing, yet conservatives must demand clarity: if Vance or any other inside-the-Beltway figure runs, they must commit to the America First agenda and not the Washington status quo. The GOP can’t afford another candidate who flirts with establishment compromises when tough fights lie ahead.
On the other side, the Democrats are busy auditioning their circus. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s massive small-dollar fundraising haul and national organizing show she’s a fundraising machine and a cultural signal, but that doesn’t make her presidential material for the whole country. The left will feed their base with radical promises, yet those same promises alienate the working-class suburbs and blue-collar voters who swung this country back toward common-sense governance in recent cycles. Conservatives should call out the gap between woke rhetoric and the everyday priorities of Americans.
Gavin Newsom’s name keeps surfacing as well, and the California governor keeps giving mixed signals about a 2028 run while trying to shape his national profile with high-visibility interviews. He’s a loud, coastal brand of liberalism that pretends to be pragmatic but still pushes policies that crash economies and tie citizens in knots with regulation and social experiments. If Democrats put up another tech-bro, coastal elite with a superhero complex, Republicans must be ready to highlight the real costs of big-government experiments.
Even inside conservative media you’ll hear laughs about who Democrats might trot out — Ben Shapiro recently noted that certain Democratic stars aren’t even being seriously discussed for another run, underscoring how weak the left’s bench can look when you scratch past the headlines. That should be a wake-up call: victory won’t be handed to us by Democratic implosion alone. We must nominate fighters who will finish the job on the border, the economy, and radical judges. Complacency is the enemy of lasting success.
This moment is a call to action for every patriot who loves country over party. Vet candidates ruthlessly, reward those who demonstrate conservative courage, and reject the corporate GOP playbook that prefers safe donors over bold governance. The next nominee must be someone who stands with American workers, defends our freedoms, and has the stomach for the cultural and legislative battles ahead — because the nation we love can’t be rebuilt with limp promises and half-measures.
