Vice President JD Vance acknowledged during a CBS News town hall in Michigan that he might not run for president in 2028.
Vance, 40, who is widely viewed as the early Republican frontrunner to succeed Donald Trump, said his wife Usha and their four young children could factor heavily into the decision. The couple’s youngest son, Alec, was born July 19, joining siblings Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and Mirabel, 4.
“Of course there’s a chance,” Vance said when asked whether he might sit out the race.
“We’ve got four little kids, my wife has never loved politics. She loves public service,” Vance continued. “I think you know you can do a lot of good in this job, and I’ve tried to do as much good as possible.”
The vice president described himself as a “procrastinator” when confronting major life choices. “The way that I think about life, big life decisions — my wife will tell you this: I’m a procrastinator. I hate thinking about it,” he said.
Vance indicated he would give the question more serious consideration after the November midterm elections rather than commit to a campaign while the Trump administration is still navigating its current agenda. He has yet to make up his mind about a potential White House bid.
The RealClear Polling average gives Vance a 15-point advantage over Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Republican primary, with 39% support more than two years out from the 2028 election. Donald Trump Jr. Is third with 11% support. Trump himself has described Vance as his “most likely” Republican successor.
Usha Vance has previously made clear that she does not always see eye to eye with her husband politically. In a March interview, she said she sometimes holds views that do not fit neatly within traditional political camps.
“Sometimes I have thoughts that fit very comfortably into one side or another,” she said. “Sometimes I have views that are way more idiosyncratic.”
She also emphasized her role as a sounding board rather than a political operative. “I’m not his staffer. I’m not involved in this in any professional sense,” Usha said, adding that there is “no exception that we are going to see eye to eye on everything.”
Usha said in March that a 2028 presidential campaign was not yet a priority in their household, explaining that her husband was focused on the midterm elections and the demands of his current job. “If you come back in 2027 and ask me, I’ll have a better sense of, you know, what he’s thinking in that way,” she said.
The prospect of another presidential campaign would mean an even bigger role in politics for the second lady, who has already faced intense public scrutiny. Usha recently revealed what she called the “absurdity” surrounding media attention on their newborn son, and she was photographed in a tense moment last month nearly falling off helicopter stairs while holding 11-week-old Alec.
For now, Vance’s political future remains an open question even as early polling puts him ahead of potential Republican rivals.