Political Tribune

GOP, Opinion, Politics

JD Vance’s Potential Running Mate Revealed

A gamble at best

535
535 points

Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt is emerging as a top contender to become JD Vance’s 2028 running mate, according to Axios, edging out Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the frontrunner.

The outlet described his growing closeness with Vance in detail, noting how Vance’s inner circle views him: “trustworthy, intelligent, articulate and a deft political operator.”  Schmitt, 51, currently serves as vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee and has spent recent months working alongside Vance on federal fraud oversight, once telling reporters, “Fraud is endemic,” while pushing legislation through his Senate Anti-Fraud Task Force.

That report could not have landed at a worse point for Schmitt. During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, he declared, “I think you’ve already perjured yourself,” building his case around a set of text messages he believed proved Smith had secretly traveled to Atlanta in February 2024.

The accusation collapsed almost immediately. The “gotcha” attack he’d clearly built up in advance fell apart in real time, in front of the same political world that had spent the morning reading about his VP prospects.

People connected the two stories fast, and the jokes followed right behind.

Journalist Aaron Rupar poked fun at how confident Schmitt’s team seemed going in, writing they clearly “thought they were cooking.”

Democratic operative Conor Rogers made a similar point, joking that Schmitt’s own staff had leaked the VP story expecting a “bombshell” perjury story to follow it up.

Writer Molly Jong-Fast focused on whoever actually built the flawed case, calling that staffer her “new favorite person.”

Commentator Benjamin Domenech took a lighter shot, ribbing Schmitt over an old college mascot mix-up with a simple “Big Hawkeyes fan.”

Schmitt’s rise as a name in VP conversations comes at a time when Marco Rubio, long assumed to be the default pick, keeps signaling he isn’t chasing the job.  Vance has called Rubio “my closest friend in the administration.”

Rubio, however, has said publicly he would back Vance rather than compete with him if a 2028 run happens. That hesitation, whether genuine or strategic, has left room for other names to surface.

Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery 

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Terry Lawson

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Terry is an editor and political writer based in Alabama. Over the last five years, he’s worked behind the scenes as a ghostwriter for a range of companies, helping shape voices and tell stories that connect. Now at Political Tribune, he writes sharp political pieces and edits with a close eye on clarity and tone. Terry’s work is driven by strong storytelling, attention to detail, and a clear sense of purpose. He’s skilled in writing, editing, and project management — and always focused on getting the message right. You can find him on X at https://x.com/TerryNotTrump.

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