By Myra Adams – The Hill contributor

MYRA’S COMPLETE ARCHIVE IS HERE

Reposted from The Hill: July 18, 2025

Among Republicans, Vice President JD Vance appears to be growing more powerful, popular and presidential. However, the overall RealClear poll average gives Vance just a 41 percent favorable rating, with 47 percent unfavorable.

The high-profile vice president is seen in nearly every Oval Office meeting photo, signaling a close relationship with President Trump. Such proximity is deliberate, since the “showman-in-chief” leverages optics more effectively than anyone as a powerful messaging tool.

Although the 2028 presidential campaign is three years away — centuries in political dog years — the 40-year-old Vance is on a trajectory to win the Republican nomination. In a recent Emerson poll, he garnered 46 percent support among registered Republican primary voters for 2028.

That same poll found Vance’s closest Republican rivals were Secretary of State Marco Rubio, supported by 12 percent, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, at 9 percent. Rubio in 2016 and DeSantis in 2024 both had disastrous presidential runs against Trump and, in the process, alienated the MAGA base. At the time, Rubio and DeSantis were warned by political strategists to wait for more political seasoning in a future presidential cycle. Both paid a price for their unbridled ambition.

Vance knows that his 2028 prospects hinge on Republican success in the 2026 midterms, which will be linked to Trump’s sinking job approval. Therefore, in addition to his demanding day job, the vice president has been in full campaign mode since March, when he was appointed finance chair of the Republican National Committee. That strategically brilliant early move by Team Trump positioned Vance as a presidential heir, facilitating frequent interactions with the party’s most powerful donors and state party leaders.

For Vance, raising money from wealthy Republicans is relatively easy, since he has around a 50 percent chance of becoming the next president and stands a heartbeat away from replacing the 79-year-old incumbent.

But can millions of dollars translate into the millions of votes needed to keep the Republicans in control of the House and Senate when Trump is not on the ballot? For that task, Vance is Trump’s point man, and he has the most to gain or lose. Political history favors Democrats winning back the House, but if Vance can work some magic and defy the odds, he could go on to win the early 2028 primaries and quickly claim the nomination.

Some Republicans argue that the party will “waste time and money” better spent fighting Democrats if Trump does not quickly anoint Vance. The operative word is “if,” because Trump cares deeply about his legacy. A family dynasty would further solidify his place in history. Read more..