Pence Leaves Door Open to 2028 White House Run, Warns GOP After Midterm Losses

Former Vice President Mike Pence has declined to rule out another run for the White House in 2028, telling Fox News Digital that people across the country have urged him to consider a bid.

The remarks came in his first extended interview since Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November. They mark a clear change of tone from just two months ago, when Pence said he had “no plans” to seek the presidency or any other elected office in 2028.

Pence did not announce a campaign, and he gave no timeline for a decision. But by refusing to close the door, he has added his name to an early Republican field that is already taking shape in the wake of the party’s midterm losses.

“Very humbled” by calls to run

Asked directly whether he was thinking about a presidential bid and whether he had a timetable in mind, Pence answered neither question directly. Instead, he pointed to the encouragement he said he had received since the elections.

“We’ve been hearing from a lot of people around the country. I’ve been very humbled by that,” he said. “I don’t know what the future holds, but all of my energies, all of my focus and my calling now is to be a champion and an advocate for the conservative principles that have defined our party.”

He said he would keep pressing that case through Advancing American Freedom, the policy and advocacy organisation he leads.

A warning to his party

Pence tied his message directly to the election results, arguing that Republicans lost because they had drifted from the principles that once defined them.

“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,” he said. “Because this version of Republicanism was just rejected by the American people.”

He said the most important thing was winning the presidency in 2028, and that the party should “focus first on what we’re for before we focus on who we’re for.”

Pence also rejected Vice President JD Vance’s suggestion that the war in Iran cost Republicans the midterms, arguing voters were frustrated because the United States did not finish the job.

Despite the scale of the defeat, Pence said he had “great hope” for the party’s recovery, noting that he was serving in Congress the last time Republicans lost both chambers, in 2006.

No endorsement for Vance or Rubio

Asked whether he could support Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio if he decides not to run himself, Pence declined to commit to either man. Both are already counted among the early names for the 2028 Republican nomination.

“What I’m gonna be looking for is men and women who embrace that historic traditional conservative agenda of the Republican Party,” he said.

It is an awkward position for a man who served as Donald Trump’s vice president for four years, until the relationship broke down over the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory.

White House hits back

The White House responded sharply to the interview. Spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital that Pence’s record spoke for itself.

“Mike Pence’s total and complete lack of courage caused untold damage to our great country,” Ingle said. “If Republican voters cared what Mike Pence had to say, he wouldn’t have had to drop out of the presidential race months before the Iowa caucuses.”

A changed position

Pence’s latest comments stand in marked contrast to what he has said for much of this year. In May, he told NBC’s Meet the Press that he did not see another presidential campaign in his future. In September, he told the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., that he had “no plans” to run in 2028.

His 2024 bid for the Republican nomination never gained traction. He suspended his campaign on 28 October 2023, before any primary contests were held, and he did not endorse Trump that year. He has since promoted his book, What Conservatives Believe, and argued that Republicans should settle their principles before choosing a 2028 standard-bearer. Chris Christie is also weighing a 2028 bid, and Senate Democrats are choosing new leadership after their midterm gains.

What happens next

Whether talk of a Mike Pence 2028 presidential run amounts to anything will depend on his next public appearances, how Vance and Rubio respond to the debate over the party’s identity, and whether Trump weighs in on the succession question.

For now, the former vice president’s message is less about a campaign than about the party itself: decide what it stands for first, and the candidate will follow.