Vice President JD Vance was met with chants calling for him to become the 48th president as he addressed Republicans at the party's midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday. Vance was a headline speaker on the second night of the two-day event, which President Donald Trump first announced in June. The president described the gathering as the Republican Party's first midterm convention, saying it would showcase candidates and prepare voters for the November 3 elections.
During his roughly 40-minute speech, Vance discussed immigration, crime, the economy and the direction of the GOP. At one point, supporters began chanting "48, 48," referring to the possibility of Vance succeeding Trump as president. Vance said, "We gotta take care of business this November, and then we'll worry about what comes next." Republicans are seeking to retain control of both chambers of Congress in the midterms, when the president's party tends to lose seats.
At the convention, Trump urged supporters to "pretend I'm on the ballot." He also used the event to promote Republican candidates and encourage turnout. With Vance, the convention has made supporters and commentators look beyond November's midterms to 2028, as recent Republican primary polling already places him ahead of other possible candidates in a run for the White Houe. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email outside regular working hours.
Vance has a substantial advantage in Republican primary polling. A Financial Times/Focaldata survey conducted from August 28 to September 2 put Vance at 43 percent, compared with 21 percent for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 9 percent for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and 7 percent for Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll conducted August 28 to 30 gave Vance 44 percent, with Rubio at 21 percent and Trump Jr. at 18 percent.
Morning Consult polling over the same period put Vance at 36 percent and Rubio at 22 percent. RealClearPolling's current average shows Vance with a 15.4-point advantage over Rubio—at 39.9 percent to 24.5 percent. The results make Vance the clear early favorite among Republican voters, but that advantage does not necessarily translate into general-election strength.
Vance appears better positioned to win the Republican nomination than to defeat several prospective Democratic nominees in the next presidential race. An Emerson College poll of 1,000 likely voters conducted August 16 to 17 found Vance trailing Democrats such as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia and California Governor Gavin Newsom by identical 49-44 margins in hypothetical 2028 contests. Former Vice President Kamala Harris led Vance 49-45, while Vance led New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 46-44.
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