JD Vance, Marco Rubio lead post-Trump GOP talk

Republicans at a Dallas convention repeatedly named Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as leading possible heirs to President Donald Trump's movement, even as the party focused publicly on November's US midterms.

Trump, 80, remains the dominant Republican figure and has not endorsed a successor. The US Constitution bars him from seeking a third elected term, making the coming midterms an early test of which Republicans can defend his record and carry forward parts of his movement.

Vance appears to have an early advantage. A Focal Data/Financial Times poll in August put him on 42 percent among Republicans, ahead of Rubio on 18 percent, although other surveys have shown the two closer. Trump has called a possible Vance-Rubio ticket a potential “dream team” but has stopped short of backing either man.

Vance, 42, is closely tied to the MAGA grassroots and the party's nationalist-populist wing. Supporters at the convention described him as close to Trump and able to appeal to younger voters.

Rubio, 55, is a former US senator from Florida and has built a profile as one of Trump's most prominent foreign-policy lieutenants. He delivered what was billed as the keynote address on Thursday, although Trump closed the proceedings with his own final remarks. Rubio has repeatedly played down speculation about another presidential run.

Other possible contenders remain in the wider discussion. Senator Ted Cruz, who ran against Trump in 2016, has made repeated trips to Iowa and contacted potential supporters. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called reports that he is considering a run “100 percent false.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump Jr and others are also being discussed.

The succession question is complicated by differences over which parts of Trump's political movement Republican voters may want to preserve after he leaves office.