'Tread carefully': GOP insiders see contenders jockeying to replace Trump

Some potential Republican contenders are already jockeying for position for a 2028 White House run just six months into Donald Trump's second presidency.

Several would-be candidates are making moves to build their national profiles with visits to early primary states and meeting with major donors as they eye an opening in a post-Trump future, since the president is constitutionally prohibited from running a third time, reported Axios.

"Everyone knows Trump has one term left, and I would say its a wide-open opportunity," said Henry Barbour, a former Republican National Committee member. "These things start earlier and earlier."

The 79-year-old president has mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible successors, and they're widely seen as the favorites for the 2028 nomination, but other prominent Republicans are positioning themselves for primary challenges.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will visit Iowa later this month and South Carolina next month, while deficit hawk Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has already visited both those states and plans to travel to New Hampshire later this fall. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is planning a donor retreat next year and has built a small-dollar fundraising network through his popular podcast and syndicated radio show,

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has introduced himself to major GOP donors through his role as Republican Governors Association chair and seemingly mended his relationship with Trump over the 2020 election, while Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is using his leadership role on the National Republican Senatorial Committee to establish relationships with donors, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has raised money in Tennessee and Texas as she readies a possible run.

Preparations for 2028 will heat up next year as aspirants boost midterm congressional candidates, and while GOP strategist Rob Godfrey says "it's never too early to start," Republican voters seem to want party leaders to focus on the president's agenda for now.

"Tread carefully," said Dave Carney, a longtime Republican strategist in New Hampshire.