Vance and Rubio would give GOP ‘potent one-two punch’ for 2028 ticket: Joe Concha

Published February 17, 2026 2:43pm ET



Washington Examiner senior writer Joe Concha said on Tuesday he “doesn’t see a scenario” where someone besides Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio is at the top of the Republican Party’s 2028 ticket.

Both Vance and Rubio are widely speculated to seek the White House in the next presidential election, with both traveling to the 2026 Winter Olympics and the latter being praised for his visit to the Munich Security Conference. While President Donald Trump has praised both potential candidates as “fantastic,” he has dodged answering whether he would support a Rubio-led 2028 ticket, saying it is “something I don’t have to worry about now” as he has three years left in office.

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