Are You Ready for ... Pence 2028?

Hold on! Don't answer that question until I put some fresh batteries into my Enthus-O-Meter. [pause, rattles the device]

Hmmm. The darn thing must be dead. 

With the midterms over and Donald Trump suffering a shellacking in it, the start of the 2028 presidential sweepstakes will accelerate. Fox News caught up with former VP, governor, and congressman Mike Pence for his thoughts on the meaning of the election results. Pence told Fox News that his "supporters nationwide" have urged him to enter the primaries, before sharing his thoughts on how the Republican Party can return to competitive standing:

PENCE 2028? Former Vice President Mike Pence says he’s hearing from supporters nationwide about another presidential bid following the 2026 midterms. “This version of republicanism was just rejected by the American people.” Pence argues the GOP has strayed from its conservative roots, saying his immediate focus is restoring the party’s traditional agenda. “I don’t know what the future holds, but all of my energies, all of focus and my calling now is to be a champion and an advocate for the conservative principles that have defined our party” Download the Fox News app or go to https://t.co/4HIEkxByeM for more. @foxnewspolitics

— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 13, 2026

Pence argues the GOP has strayed from its conservative roots, saying his immediate focus is restoring the party’s traditional agenda.

“I don’t know what the future holds, but all of my energies, all of focus and my calling now is to be a champion and an advocate for the conservative principles that have defined our party” 

Before we delve into the criticisms of Pence that will surely follow – especially in our comments section! – let's recognize that Pence had been a stalwart and principled conservative during his long career in office. He's been one of the more intellectual and philosophical figures in the GOP, mostly inclined to results over self-promotion. And he's absolutely correct about this observation, especially in light of the midterm results:

"The truth is, if we don't return the Republican Party to the principles of a strong defense, limited government, fiscal responsibility and the right to life, it won't matter who we nominate in 2028."

This points out the flaw in the conservative-populist alliance. Republicans can only take populism so far if they want to retain these conservative principles. Democrats can take populism directly into central economic planning and seizure of the means of production, and they did in these midterms. Without Trump as the central animating and catalyzing figure in that marriage between conservatives and populists, it may be impossible to compete for voters who might respond to populist rhetoric.

The truth is, though, Pence isn't the man to lead a renewal, at least not in the electoral context. He'd be 69 years old by the time the general election takes place in 2028 and out of office for eight years. If he's right that conservatives would need to reassert the core values within the party, then his four-year association with Trump would likely weaken the argument for his leadership. Any claim that this experience would lend him credibility with the MAGA faction of the GOP is laughable after Pence's absolutely correct decision to count the Electoral College ballots on January 6, 2021 in the joint session of Congress. 

Republicans need younger, fresher leadership that can focus on those core values while appealing to the MAGA faction. Both Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio have track records just as significant as Pence's on those values. Trump's harsh slap at J.D. Vance has likely stalled the current VP's ascendance within the GOP, but there are others, including Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose new book may serve as a campaign opener and who just won a second term as Arkansas governor in an otherwise tough midterm. Others may rise to the occasion (Tom Cotton, perhaps?), although the midterm debacle has sharply reduced the Republican bench at both the federal and state levels. There may not be as many serious challengers as once thought, even if Vance can no longer clear the field early. 

Finally, even as principled and courtly as Pence is, he doesn't fit the political moment, largely because of his courtly and deliberate manner. Voters respond more to passion than intellect; spontaneous pugnacity is this era's signal of the proverbial "fire in the gut." That's the reason that Democrat politicos have so enthusiastically embraced the f-bomb in the last few years, which is the middle-school demonstration of 'passion.' For better or worse, that's not who Pence is, nor is it who Pence is willing to become, and that's how it should be. To thine own self be true. 

That doesn't make Pence a bad guy; quite the opposite. He's just not a good fit in the upcoming presidential cycle. Maybe Pence should think about running for the House, where his wisdom and principles could be put to good use (and where both would be a relative rarity). Otherwise, Pence should help his party focus on those values and work to find a candidate who has both the relevance and the track record to make the best conservative pitch for 2028.

Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it's spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there's nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.

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