SWANTON, Ohio — As Republicans rally ahead of a midterm election that will determine whether the GOP maintains control of both chambers of Congress, Vice President JD Vance is taking to the campaign trail once again to speak with voters in New York and Ohio on Monday.
Vance’s role in the midterm blitz has been eyed by many top GOP strategists and insiders who say his actions on the trail could offer insight into what a 2028 run might look like for the 42-year-old vice president.
“Vice President Vance is constantly on the road,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital. “I believe he’s been in just shy of 50 battleground districts and or states this cycle. He’s been a workhorse. I mean you look at Donald J. Trump, who’s out there constantly. He just doesn’t stop. And of course, people don’t maybe notice than the vice president is keeping a schedule himself that is frankly incredibly impressive.”
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Vance has held 19 rallies since the GOP midterm convention in early September and dozens of events across the country prior to the convention in Dallas.
His role in the midterm has fueled further speculation about his potential run for president in 2028. Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer explained that his midterm campaign efforts add to his resume, but that his fundraising abilities and his role as finance chair of the Republican National Committee will also be an important advantage that Vance would have in a run for president.
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“I think which makes this vice president unique, though, is that it’s a combination of the policy chops that you just mentioned, but the political chops,” Spicer told Fox News Digital I’ve noted this over and over again that, like, he is the first vice president to ever be the finance chair of the RNC.”
“His network of donors is going to be a massive advantage if he runs in ’28,” he added.
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Vance has repeatedly told reporters that he is focused on his current portfolio of work and has shied away from questions concerning a potential run for the Oval Office. He is, however, the favorite in several prediction markets.
President Donald Trump told reporters in late October that he is focused on the midterms before looking at which Republican may run in 2028, saying: “It’s early. We are very early right now. We have to get through the midterms. We’ll see how it goes.”
As for the work Vance is doing off the campaign trail, former White House Chief of Staff and former RNC Chairman Reince Priebus compared the responsibilities of former Vice President Kamala Harris to Vance, saying that Vance has had to take charge of more key issues — from leading the anti-fraud task force to negotiating a peace deal in the Middle East.
“If you compare it to the portfolio of Kamala Harris, whose first job was to secure the border, it ended up being a complete and total disaster,” Priebus told Fox News Digital. “He’s a trusted administrator of huge problems facing our country. So that is very clear. He’s a little bit of a whiz kid too.”
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Pollsters predict that Democrats have an edge in the House as the midterms approach, while the Senate remains “on a knife edge,” according to Priebus.
The former RNC chairman noted that traditional red and blue waves are far rarer now that in previous midterm elections, noting a smaller number House seats shift between parties every cycle.
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“There are so few districts in our entire country that are up for grabs,” Priebus said. “At 435 house seats, how many are really in play? Maybe 30? And in those 30, there’s probably only about 5,000 votes in each of those 30 that could go either way. So, that’s why you have ripples, I think, nowadays and not waves. The Senate races are all on a knife edge.”
While President Trump is known for hosting a staggering number of rallies, Vance’s increased presence in the midterm blitz has led to his name emerging alongside President Donald Trump as the face of the party, according to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
“I think a lot of people have seen him in the shadows of Donald Trump, not as an individual campaigner,” Meadows told Fox News Digital. “But as someone who would continue the Trump legacy.”
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“I think for the first time, a broader spectrum of people are seeing JD Vance as the campaigner, and not as a campaigner for him personally,” Meadows said. “And, you know, I point out that most of his dynamic interactions have not been in Iowa or New Hampshire or South Carolina.”
GOP members of Congress have also noted the increased presence of the vice president as they fight to maintain the majority in the House. Rep. Brandon Gill, R-TX, told Fox News Digital he traveled with Vance to Texas and noted the impact that the vice president had in the state.
“Kamala Harris couldn’t go out and campaign for people because nobody would want to see her,” Gill said. “The American people love Vice President Vance. I mean, at all the rallies I’ve been out with them, they were packed, people were fired up.”
The vice president held two rallies ahead of the midterm on Monday, one in Rome, New York and the other in Swanton, Ohio – advocating for GOP congressional candidates and pushing for the Republicans to maintain the majority.
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“Take your friends, take your neighbors, take your grandparents. Get out there and let them know that we are going to send a message that America belongs to those who love it, not those who hate it,” Vance told voters in New York on Monday.
