Republicans eye 2028 presidential bids after midterm rebuke - Semafor

Republican leaders took early steps signaling potential 2028 presidential bids, using disastrous midterm elections to distance themselves from the Trump administration. Florida’s governor, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 2024, has been among the loudest critics of Republican leadership in recent days and did not rule out running in the next presidential race while on CNN.

Administration figures including the vice president — whose post blaming midterms losses on the Iran war was seen as a sign of his Oval Office ambitions — secretary of state, and defense secretary all face headwinds over their links to US President Donald Trump. Beyond intra-party fights, however, one person close to the White House told Semafor, “The actual question is: Can any Republican win?”