One of JD Vance’s former Senate colleagues is emerging as a leading contender to be his running mate in a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt has built a close relationship with Vance and is considered a top candidate for the ticket, Axios reported Tuesday.
Vance views Schmitt as ‘trustworthy, intelligent, and articulate,’ according to the outlet.
Schmitt, 51, served as Missouri attorney general before winning his Senate seat in 2022. Vance has not formally announced a 2028 bid.
Donald Trump has repeatedly floated Vance and Marco Rubio running together in 2028, but has not said which of the two should top the ticket.
Rubio has also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick but has played down the speculation.
‘I’m not a candidate for anything right now,’ Rubio told Colombian broadcaster RCN earlier this month. He added that he is focused on his two roles, as secretary of state and national security adviser.
Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz backed the idea on X: ‘I would support any ambition of Senator Schmitt.’
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri speaks as Vice President JD Vance listens during an event at the FBI Field Office in Kansas City on September 14th, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks in Washington on September 29th, 2026
Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project – a conservative legal group – called Schmitt a ‘rockstar’ in his own post on X.
A longtime former senate GOP aide told the Daily Mail that ‘the allure of the VP nominee is often times not what they bring to the table but what they don’t do for the ticket,’ before adding, ‘you don’t want headaches,’ indicating that Schmitt could be a drama-free pick.
Schmitt worked with Vance when they were both members of the upper chamber on Capitol Hill.
Since Vance took a job in the administration, the duo have worked together in the VP’s role as the White House Fraud Czar.
The two are leading a coordinated legislative and executive push to crack down on fraud in a number of federal programs, including COVID-19 relief and healthcare fraud.
After a meeting of the White House anti-fraud Taskforce earlier this year, Schmitt shared in a media release that ‘Vice President Vance has done an incredible job cracking down on fraud and exposing rampant waste, fraud, and abuse of our federal programs. ‘
Alluding to their work together, Schmitt added the ‘In the Senate, I am proud to lead the Anti-Fraud Task Force to work alongside this Administration to strengthen federal oversight and hold criminals accountable so we can ensure federal programs actually help Americans in need.’
Schmitt would also bring experience as Missouri’s attorney General, a leader in the Republican Attorney Generals Association (RAGA), and even vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee to the table as a potential VP pick.
Matt Gaetz, a former Republican Congressman from Florida who now serves as a host at the right-wing One America News Network, praised Schmitt in a post on X
US Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican from Missouri, looks on as former US Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2026
Long before seeking elected office, Schmitt played varsity football and baseball at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, an NCAA Division II school.
He has held elected office at the state and local level, and has also been a partner in law firm in private practice.
Dan Rene, a conservative communications strategist, told the Daily Mail that ‘it is way too early to be picking a VP but never too early to have fun speculating.’
He added that he sees ‘Schmitt as an interesting candidate because he understands technology and has authentic and authoritative insight into where AI, communications, and the economy are headed.’
‘Any ticket will have to effectively communicate about the future instead of re-litigating the past,’ Rene concluded.
Representatives for Vance did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily Mail.
