JD Vance and Marco Rubio are front-runners to replace Trump — but only one attended secret Republican donors meeting Monday | The Independent

## Summary
Vice President JD Vance ’s presence at a closed-door donor summit this week intensified speculation about the 2028 presidential race , where he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are viewed as leading contenders to succeed Donald Trump on top of the Republican party. The former Ohio senator and Hillbilly Elegy author spoke of his anti-fraud push and the looming midterm elections — while refraining from remarking on the 2028 presidential election. “It obviously wouldn't be too smart to do that,” the source said. open image in gallery JD Vance and Marco Rubio are the front-runners to replace Trump in 2028, but only one of them attended a secret donor summit on Monday, according to a new report ( Getty Images ) Still, that didn't deter deep-pocketed attendees — who included billionaire heiress Rebekah Mercer and business executive Omeed Malik — from speculating on the vice president's political future and their potential role in bankrolling it. But you never know in politics, right?” Privately, the president has also tossed the question to allies and confidants: “Marco or JD?,” Axios reported last month. “Vance-Rubio is the president's dream ticket…and to be clear, that's Vance on top,” an unnamed Trump adviser told the outlet. “But would Trump be happy with a Rubio-Vance ticket? Absolutely.” The secretary of state has publicly stated that he would not challenge the vice president if he chooses to run, telling Vanity Fair last year: “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.” However, a circle of GOP donors has quietly begun strategizing ways to elevate the secretary’s political profile ahead of the presidential election, a campaign that’s been dubbed “ Draft Rubio ,” ABC News reported.

## Article Content
Vice President JD Vance
’s presence at a closed-door donor summit this week intensified speculation about
the 2028 presidential race
, where he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are viewed as leading contenders to succeed Donald Trump on top of the Republican party.
On Monday at the
Four Seasons
in Nashville, Tennessee, Vance headlined a meeting of the Rockbridge Network, a donor group he helped establish in 2019 while working as a venture capitalist, according to CBS News.
Roughly
250 members
attended the political pow-wow, where tickets ran upwards of $100,000, an unnamed source told the outlet.
The former Ohio senator and
Hillbilly Elegy
author spoke of his anti-fraud push and the
looming midterm elections
— while refraining from remarking on the 2028 presidential election.
“It obviously wouldn't be too smart to do that,” the source said.
open image in gallery
JD Vance and Marco Rubio are the front-runners to replace Trump in 2028, but only one of them attended a secret donor summit on Monday, according to a new report
(
Getty Images
)
Still, that didn't deter deep-pocketed attendees — who included billionaire heiress Rebekah Mercer and business executive Omeed Malik — from speculating on the vice president's political future and their potential role in bankrolling it.
Rockbridge Network members are “the people that will be rallying around JD, and they want to back JD,” a conservative venture capitalist told the outlet.
Chris Buskirk, the co-founder of the donor group, also helped start 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm tied to Trump family allies.
"There is a Venn diagram where Rockbridge and 1789 meet, and they want JD to be the heir apparent," a second conservative investor told CBS News.
Other attendees on Monday included veteran GOP strategist Chris LaCivita, former Arizona Senate candidate Blake Master and MAGA music star Kid Rock.
Notably absent from the Tennessee summit was Rubio, whose star has risen within the Trump administration as he has
steadily expanded his portfolio
, most recently by taking a leading role in overseeing the war in Iran.
The Independent
has contacted the White House for comment.
open image in gallery
The pair, who are close friends, have remained tight-lipped about their plans for 2028, though several signs point to the possibility of them running for president
(
Getty Images
)
Vance and Rubio, who are close friends, have remained tight-lipped about their 2028 ambitions, but several signs point to the possibility that they may enter the race — including their high popularity among Republicans.
In a survey of respondents at the Conservative Political Action Conference last weekend, 53 percent said they prefer Vance to be the GOP presidential nominee in 2028, while Rubio came in second with 35 percent. By comparison, 61 percent backed Vance in the 2025 poll, while just 3 percent favored Rubio.
In recent months, President Donald Trump has pitted the two men against each other by
repeatedly naming them as potential successors
.
“They’re both very capable,” Trump said earlier this year. “I do think this: The combination of JD and Marco would be very hard to be beaten, I think. But you never know in politics, right?”
Privately, the president has also tossed the question to allies and confidants: “Marco or JD?,”
Axios
reported last month.
“Vance-Rubio is the president's dream ticket…and to be clear, that's Vance on top,” an unnamed Trump adviser told the outlet. “But would Trump be happy with a Rubio-Vance ticket? Absolutely.”
The secretary of state has publicly stated that he
would not challenge
the vice president if he chooses to run, telling
Vanity Fair
last year: “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.”
However, a circle of GOP donors has quietly begun strategizing ways to elevate the secretary’s political profile ahead of the presidential election, a campaign that’s been dubbed “
Draft Rubio
,” ABC News reported.
When reached for comment, a State Department spokesperson pointed
The Independent
to a July 2025 interview with Rubio, during which he told Lara Trump: “I think JD Vance would be a great nominee...He’s a close friend, and I hope he intends to do it.”
Meanwhile, Vance has said in recent conversations that he
hasn’t made up his mind
about running in 2028, sources told
The Washington Post
. The Iran war,
which polls show is unpopular
, could prove a sticking point for the Marine veteran who has previously spoken out against foreign military interventions.
In an interview this week,
Second Lady Usha Vance
, who is expecting a fourth child, also expressed uncertainty about her husband’s future. She told NBC News that the vice president’s political prospects aren’t “a priority in our conversations,” adding that he is “very focused on the midterm elections right now.”
The vice president, however, has
a new book due out this spring
about his religious faith. Such book launches — and the cross‑cou

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Such book launches — and the cross‑country tours that often accompany them — are widely viewed as an effective way to test the waters for a presidential run.

### Areas for Consideration
- Absolutely.” The secretary of state has publicly stated that he would not challenge the vice president if he chooses to run, telling Vanity Fair last year: “If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him.” However, a circle of GOP donors has quietly begun strategizing ways to elevate the secretary’s political profile ahead of the presidential election, a campaign that’s been dubbed “ Draft Rubio ,” ABC News reported.

### Implications
- The former Ohio senator and Hillbilly Elegy author spoke of his anti-fraud push and the looming midterm elections — while refraining from remarking on the 2028 presidential election. “It obviously wouldn't be too smart to do that,” the source said. open image in gallery JD Vance and Marco Rubio are the front-runners to replace Trump in 2028, but only one of them attended a secret donor summit on Monday, according to a new report ( Getty Images ) Still, that didn't deter deep-pocketed attendees — who included billionaire heiress Rebekah Mercer and business executive Omeed Malik — from speculating on the vice president's political future and their potential role in bankrolling it.
- Rockbridge Network members are “the people that will be rallying around JD, and they want to back JD,” a conservative venture capitalist told the outlet.
- The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. open image in gallery The pair, who are close friends, have remained tight-lipped about their plans for 2028, though several signs point to the possibility of them running for president ( Getty Images ) Vance and Rubio, who are close friends, have remained tight-lipped about their 2028 ambitions, but several signs point to the possibility that they may enter the race — including their high popularity among Republicans.
- The Iran war, which polls show is unpopular , could prove a sticking point for the Marine veteran who has previously spoken out against foreign military interventions.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers vance, president, rubio topics. Notable strengths include discussion of vance. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 864.