Sen. Ted Cruz appears to have discovered one of Washington’s favorite political traditions: campaigning for an election that is still more than a year away while insisting that everyone else should concentrate on the election happening first. As Cruz quietly tests the waters for a possible 2028 Republican presidential campaign, he has sharpened his criticism of Vice President JD Vance, calling Vance’s role in negotiating a now-abandoned U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding a “terrible deal.” Recent reporting says Cruz has been sounding out potential supporters, returning to Iowa and promoting his new book—all activities that, in Washington, can apparently be described as “not campaigning” with a straight face.
Ted Cruz Tests the 2028 Waters While Vance Says Everyone Should Think About 2026
Ted Cruz maneuvering comes as Republicans have yet to formally settle on a 2028 successor to current President Donald J. Trump. Vance is widely viewed as one of the leading potential contenders, but Cruz has made clear that he does not believe the Republican Party has already decided who should inherit the presidential nomination. Asked whether Republicans were coalescing around Vance, Cruz indicated that the party would have a broader debate about its future. That gives the senator plenty of room to campaign without technically admitting that he is campaigning—a skill Washington politicians have refined to an almost Olympic standard.
Vance, meanwhile, has tried to keep the conversation focused on the 2026 midterm elections. Asked about possible presidential ambitions among Republicans, he argued that Republicans should concentrate on protecting their congressional majorities rather than obsessing over jobs several years away. Vance also described Cruz as an “authentic and likable” person and wished him well, a diplomatic response that avoided turning a potential 2028 rival into an immediate political emergency.
The Iran Dispute Adds Fuel to an Already Crowded Republican Future
Ted Cruz has also attacked Vance over foreign policy, particularly the vice president’s involvement in negotiations surrounding the memorandum of understanding with Iran. Cruz said, “JD negotiated the MOU with Iran. That was a terrible deal.” The agreement was subsequently abandoned, according to reporting, giving Cruz an unusually convenient political object to criticize while positioning himself as a more hawkish alternative within the Republican field.
The political backdrop is important. Cruz and Trump were fierce rivals during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, which Cruz won in Iowa before ultimately losing the nomination to Trump. A decade later, Cruz is again looking toward Iowa as he considers another presidential campaign, while Vance has also been making appearances there and is regarded as an early Republican favorite. One recent national poll cited by Overton Insights put Vance well ahead of Ted Cruz among Republican primary voters, although a 2028 contest remains extremely fluid and far from settled.
For now, the emerging Republican succession drama has all the ingredients of a political sitcom: one senator says the party has not chosen its future, one vice president says everybody should stop thinking about the future and win the next election, and everyone quietly behaves as though the 2028 campaign has already begun. Ted Cruz’s Iowa visits, book tour and outreach to potential campaign workers suggest that his ambitions are serious, even if the official launch button remains untouched. Whether his criticism of Vance becomes the foundation of a genuine Republican challenge—or simply an extended political audition—will become clearer as the midterms approach. OGM News will continue watching this developing 2028 contest for further updates.
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