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IrelandEight Republicans make Mark Halperin's first post-midterm presidential shortlist
Vance and Rubio top the list, with Tad Devine joining the episode to consider Democrats' choices.
Next Up with Mark Halperin
Story of Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
Top 8 Republicans Eyeing the White House in 2028
Next story: Mark Halperin's GOP sources see the midterms as a 5K
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 2:08Halperin says the midterms disrupted expectations of a clear-cut Republican nomination.
- 4:58His eight-person ranking places Vance first, Rubio second, Cruz third and DeSantis fourth.
- 6:37Halperin considers Vance and Rubio the likeliest contenders, while stressing neither has committed to running.
- 22:22Tad Devine examines the difficulties sitting vice presidents face when seeking the presidency.
- 43:40David Bozell argues Republicans failed to adequately address younger voters' concerns about housing affordability.
Mark Halperin waited until after the midterms to publish his first Republican "8 for '28" list. The results, he explains, made the nomination look less settled than it had before election day.
"Top 8 Republicans Eyeing the White House in 2028" was the most watched of Next Up with Mark Halperin's 15 uploads this week, reaching about 17,000 views. His ordering puts JD Vance first and Marco Rubio second, followed by Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis. David McCormick, Glenn Youngkin, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Brian Kemp complete the field.
The interesting wrinkle is that Halperin doesn't necessarily expect his top two to face each other. His assessment is that Rubio would support Vance rather than run against him. Cruz and DeSantis, meanwhile, get attention for their positioning since election day and their experience of earlier presidential campaigns. These are Halperin's judgments about a potential field, not candidacy announcements.
The episode includes paid advertising segments, then widens into conversations with Democratic strategist Tad Devine about progressive candidates and David Bozell about media influence and housing affordability. Another upload brings Brent Scher and Tricia McLaughlin into a prediction-market discussion spanning presidential prospects and congressional leadership.
The channel added roughly 1,000 subscribers over the week, though its daily views are currently below their usual level. Among nearby-sized political commentary channels, Interesting Times is enjoying a pronounced daily viewing lift, while BlackBeltBarrister Off The Record is quieter than usual.
For Halperin, the freshest momentum belongs to "JD Vance's Biggest 2028 Rivals," which is currently drawing views faster than the full shortlist episode. The longer program supplies the reasoning; its focused follow-up gives the nomination question another entry point.
Republican vice president of the United States since 2025. He previously represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 2023 to 2025.
More on Wikipedia ›U.S. secretary of state since 2025 and national security advisor. A Republican, he previously represented Florida in the U.S. Senate.
More on Wikipedia ›Republican U.S. senator from Texas since 2013 and chair of the Senate Commerce Committee since 2025.
More on Wikipedia ›Republican governor of Florida since 2019. He sought the party's 2024 presidential nomination before withdrawing in January 2024.
More on Wikipedia ›Republican U.S. senator from Pennsylvania since 2025. A businessman and former Army officer, he led hedge fund Bridgewater Associates from 2020 to 2022.
More on Wikipedia ›Republican who served as governor of Virginia from 2022 to 2026. He previously worked at private equity firm Carlyle Group, becoming co-CEO in 2018.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- Next Up with Mark Halperin
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- Channel views, last 7 days
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Which state did Marco Rubio represent in the U.S. Senate?
Rubio represented Florida in the Senate from 2011 to 2025.