The US election 2028 race has been reshaped after Republicans suffered a heavy defeat to the Democrats in the midterm elections, the votes held halfway through a president’s term. The result has upended the contest to replace President Donald Trump in the White House and has put the position of Vice President JD Vance under pressure. Several names from both parties are now being discussed, though none has been confirmed as a candidate.
Vance’s position after the midterms
Vance, 42, had long been seen as the most likely Republican nominee in the US election 2028. During the midterms he campaigned with Trump at rallies in swing states, which are closely contested states. After the defeat, he posted a long statement on X on Wednesday blaming the result on Trump’s unpopular war on Iran. It remains to be seen whether voters will accept that effort to distance himself from Trump, since he is closely tied to a leader near the end of his term.
James Lindsay of the Council for Foreign Relations said the “bad news for Vance is that sitting vice presidents seldom win the presidency.” Other Republicans have also been mentioned. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 55, has kept a low profile, but any senior Trump official will find it hard to separate themselves from the Iran war. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, 48, who ran against Trump for the nomination in 2024, has become much more vocal, calling the Democratic sweep “the political equivalent of a meteor strike.” Texas Senator Ted Cruz, 55, has left the door open to a run, although the Democrats’ Senate and governor wins in Texas may have harmed his chances.
Democrats’ rising names
Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, 39, was reelected, and his victory speech has added to speculation about a 2028 run. He has said he has “zero interest in running for president,” but his swift win has strengthened his standing in the party. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, 53, also stormed back to reelection in a key battleground state, and he had been interviewed as Kamala Harris’s running mate in 2024.
Harris, 62, had been the favourite for the Democratic nomination before the midterms, but many in the party would prefer someone without a losing record. Outgoing California Governor Gavin Newsom, 59, has repeatedly challenged Trump, and in September he predicted in an interview with AFP that Trump’s presidency “as we know it would be over after the midterms.” But Newsom, like Harris, may be seen as part of the old guard in a party looking to its rising stars.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the left-wing New York congresswoman, said in September she was weighing a run and wondered whether a Latina could win in a country that rejected female nominees in 2016 and 2024. Other possible contenders include former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- September: Ocasio-Cortez said she was weighing a run, and Newsom told AFP that Trump’s presidency would be over after the midterms.
- Tuesday: The midterm elections were held. Democrats won Senate and governor races, including in Texas, Ossoff and Shapiro were reelected, and Pritzker won a third term.
- Wednesday: Vance posted a long statement on X blaming Trump’s Iran war for the Republican defeat.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Amriki midterm elections mein Republicans ko Democrats ke haathon bari shikast hui hai, jis se 2028 mein White House ki race ka nakshah badal gaya hai. Vice President JD Vance, jo pehle frontrunner maane ja rahe the, ab Trump se apne qareebi rishtay ki wajah se sawalon mein hain. Jon Ossoff, Josh Shapiro aur Gavin Newsom jaise Democrat leaders ke naam bhi zikr mein hain, lekin abhi yeh sirf mumkin umeedwar hain. Pakistan ke liye iska asar filhal sirf ehtiyaati taur par dekha ja sakta hai.
