Vice President J.D. Vance says Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) is already effectively running for president in 2028, even as Vance continues to insist that he has not made a decision about his own political future.
Vance made the unusually direct comment during an NBC News interview published Thursday.
“It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance said.
He immediately contrasted Cruz’s position with his own.
“At this moment, I’m not,” Vance said. “I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing.”
Cruz has not formally announced a 2028 presidential campaign.
The Texas Republican has, however, increasingly discussed the future of the GOP and has declined to rule out another bid for the White House.
Cruz recently said Vance does not have the 2028 Republican nomination locked down.
He added that he intends to “certainly be part of the discussion.”
Cruz has also framed the party’s future as an ideological fight.
He said Republicans will have to decide whether to remain a “small-government, free-market conservative party” or move toward what he called a “big-government, nanny state party.”
His recent political activity has only fueled more speculation about another presidential run.
Cruz is not up for reelection this year, but he has been traveling extensively to campaign for Republican candidates.
Those trips have included appearances in Iowa and South Carolina.
Both states have traditionally played important early roles in the Republican presidential nominating process.
Cruz is also expected to campaign for Republican Senate candidates in Alaska, North Carolina and Texas during the final stretch before the midterms.
A spokesperson for Cruz said the senator’s focus remains on helping Republicans win in November.
“Senator Cruz has been focused on electing Republicans up and down the ballot this November, and he will continue campaigning vigorously over the next several weeks to help make that happen,” the spokesperson said.
Cruz already has presidential campaign experience.
He sought the Republican nomination in 2016 and became Donald Trump’s strongest remaining rival late in the primary contest.
Cruz won the Iowa caucuses along with 10 other nominating contests.
He ended his campaign after losing the Indiana primary.
Cruz later endorsed Trump and became one of the president’s prominent Republican allies.
Even so, the two have continued to differ on some issues.
More recently, Cruz has at times separated himself from Trump and Vance on foreign policy, tariffs and Republican primary endorsements.
He has also raised his profile in the Senate.
As chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Cruz recently secured a significant legislative win when the Senate approved his bipartisan Protect College Sports Act in a 77-22 vote.
That victory came as questions continue to grow about whether he is preparing for another presidential campaign.
Vance, meanwhile, continues to avoid committing himself to a 2028 run.
He told NBC that the results of November’s midterm elections could become one factor he considers later, per the Conservative Brief.
“You make these decisions by collecting as much information and trying to make a wise decision,” Vance said.
He added that regardless of what happens in the coming weeks, there will always be new information to evaluate.
“Regardless of what happens over the next 35 days, there will be new information, new things you have to make a decision over,” Vance said.
Asked whether major Republican losses in November could make him less likely to run, Vance again declined to speculate.
“Right now, I try not to think too much in hypotheticals,” he said.
“The American people make that decision, and when they do, then yeah, I’ll have some new information to consider.”
Vance has repeatedly said his immediate focus is helping Republicans keep control of Congress.
During a White House briefing in September, he similarly declined to engage when asked whether he could support Cruz or Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a future Republican primary.
“I’d encourage any Republican, if you care about the country — and I think all of us do — you should be focused not on a job a few years from now, you should be focused on the midterms,” Vance said.
For now, Cruz has not declared a campaign.
But Vance’s assessment was clear: he believes the Texas senator is already acting like a 2028 presidential candidate.
