GOP insiders plotting 'shadow' effort to elect Rubio in 2028

After Marco Rubio’s election failed to gain traction during the 2016 presidential primaries, forcing him to drop out after winning just three states, it for a moment appeared as if his greatest legacy would involve the water bottle incident during his 2013 State of the Union rebuttal. Then at the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, Rubio was named Secretary of State, which came as something of a surprise after the president had spent years disparaging the former Florida senator, calling him names like “nervous basket case” and “Little Rubio.”

Since then, however, Rubio has become known as a willing collaborator on Trump’s security and foreign policy, and is today among the top figures in the administration. Now some of the GOP aim to leverage that rising profile, as there is a growing “shadow” effort to elect him president in 2028.

While many spent the first year of Trump’s second term guessing that JD Vance was the heir apparent to head the upcoming GOP ticket, things took a sharp turn in February of this year when Trump started questioning advisors and donors about a Vance-Rubio or even Rubio-led campaign. After that, reports ABC, donors within the party began discussing ways to boost Rubio’s chances in 2028, in what insiders have called a rising “draft Rubio” movement.

Support for Rubio was buoyed by the war in Iran, which has not only positioned him as the president’s willing war partner, but has set him in contrast to Vance, who has spoken out against the war and is connected to anti-war conservatives like Tucker Carlson. This has pushed hawkish MAGA voices like Laura Loomer to declare Vance has a “Tucker problem,” and to throw support behind a 2028 Rubio campaign.

"RUBIO RISING ... Get ready for 2028!," Loomer posted earlier this month.

The wider public, however, does not seem optimistic about either potential candidate. In a recent NBC poll, voters held net negative opinions of both, with Vance down 11 points and Rubio down by 7.