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As Republicans broke with Vivek Ramaswamy over his controversial attack ad against Amy Acton, Vice President JD Vance, embodying President Donald Trump's political operating theory of never apologizing, stood by him. That decision has led to a lot of criticism of Vance - not just because Vance is his party's second-in-command, but because the 2028 race has already begun.
And upbraiding the vice president gave both Democratic and Republican 2028 hopefuls a chance to weigh Vance, widely seen as the GOP favorite to run for president, down with the ad, and his response. That it evoked Trump's style gave Vance's rivals an opening to say his possible campaign comes with a heap of Trump-led baggage.
"Vance's acceptance of this campaign ad only breathes life into the disease that we should be seeking to cure," former New Jersey governor Chris Christie told me after the ad came out, choosing mostly to focus on the vice president and less on Ramaswamy, a Republican he called "the most obnoxious blowhard in America" when they both ran for president.
"This is a product of that Trump-Vance politics of the lowest common denominator," Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNN's Dana Bash. Shapiro is widely seen as a likely Democratic contender for president in 2028. "I think you're going to see Americans of all stripes, Democrat and Republican, come out and reject it," he added, labeling Vance as "profoundly and pathetically weak of a human being."
And Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, another possible 2028 Democratic candidate, tweeted that Vance's response was "disgusting" and that he "should be ashamed of himself."
"Vivek Ramaswamy and JD Vance have reached a low I did not think was possible by attacking a survivor of childhood sexual assault," Beshear wrote on X, linking to Vance telling an audience in Ohio that all Ramaswamy did was "run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar."
It is telling that in all three instances the possible 2028 candidates choose to hit Vance via Ramaswamy, and highlights how while the vice president may be the most obvious heir apparent to Trump's no-holds-barred political legacy, that inheritance comes with some unhelpful weight.
Vance has said he hasn't decided about running for president in 2028, telling reporters last month he will decide after the midterms. He told CBS News this month that "of course" he might not run and that he is a "procrastinator," but he also told reporter Mark Halperin that if he does run, he thinks "the president will endorse" him.
So it remains to be seen whether Vance will run, but that last answer made it clear he at least sees himself as the heir apparent to Trump's political movement.
My colleagues Theodoric Meyer and Natalie Allison reported last month that other Republicans are angling to challenge the assumption - namely Florida Sen. Rick Scott, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul - and observed how "a fractious contest for the nomination could force Vance to reckon with Trump's less popular policies while laying out his own vision for the party's future."
That is what is playing out here. The midterms are upon us, and Republicans are preparing for an election that could severely repudiate Trump's first two years in office. Losses next week would further complicate Vance's path to the presidency, as some Republicans may respond by breaking with Trump's more unpopular policies, something that could prove difficult for his sitting vice president.
Some historical trends apply here, too. Sitting vice presidents often do poorly when trying to succeed the presidents they served under. George H.W. Bush was the last sitting vice president elected president, in 1988, and many have failed, including Al Gore in 2000 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Those losses occur because voters often want change, and it is hard for a sitting vice president to be a change candidate.
Spokespeople for Vance did not respond to a request for comment about the way his possible 2028 rivals have hit him for the Ramaswamy response.
But this entire fracas reminds us that while 2026 is on the immediate horizon, 2028 has already begun.
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Previously:
• Time for 'safe' Republicans to actually campaign
• Dems, fatherhood and being a man
• Home heating oil is a sleeper campaign issue across cold-weather battlegrounds
• With judgment nearing, candidates lean on bipartisan partnerships
• How Republicans' fortunes at the ballot box are linked to diesel fuel prices
• Dems are running against the One Big Beautiful Bill. What can they do if they win?
• Dems sound the money alarm in a key battleground
• Republican candidates are breaking with Trump on Iran as midterms looms
• Republicans have one clear advantage this November
• The midterms are over. Sort of
• Working-class Americans aren't running for office. It's changing our politics
• Why this popular Dem is running like he is behind
• The divide between Trump and Vance on Iran
• The bipartisan rise of Flock cameras as a political issue
• Are data centers enough to flip a key House race?
• Voters want fighters. But where is the limit?
• Is the midterm cake baked?
• Is the midterm cake baked?
• For the DNC, no money, more problems