Vice President · Election Day, November 7, 2028

Last updated September 11, 2026

Running-Mate Watch

Vice presidents are not elected on their own — each party's nominee picks a running mate, usually between the spring primaries and the summer convention. Nobody has been chosen for 2028, so this page tracks the sitting vice president alongside the figures most often named in national reporting as likely ticket options.

Names tracked

States represented

Sitting VP

Head to head

Section data updated September 11, 2026

Compare the vice president with the people who could replace him

Pick the current vice president on the left and a widely reported 2028 running-mate option on the right.

Vice President

JD Vance

Republican

Vice President of the United States · Republican · OH

Age in 2028: 44
Net worth · OH: ~$10M

Reported running-mate option

Josh Shapiro

Democratic

Governor of Pennsylvania; reported Democratic running-mate option · Democratic · PA

Age in 2028: 55
Net worth · PA: ~$2M

Age difference: Shapiro is 11 yrs older
Net worth gap: $8M less

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13 of 13 shown

Reported 2028 running-mate options

Section data updated September 11, 2026

Mark Kelly

Democratic

U.S. senator; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 64
Net worth · AZ: ~$12M

Arizona senator, retired astronaut and 2024 running-mate finalist with swing-state and national-security appeal.

Prior offices held

NASA astronaut; Navy combat pilot; gun-safety advocacy leader.

Religion

Raised Roman Catholic

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Co-founded World View Enterprises, a space-technology firm with defense contracts and Chinese-linked investors, and held stock positions later placed in a blind trust after conflict questions.

PAC money accepted

Yes — his Senate campaigns raised well over $100M, including substantial PAC and committee support.

Negative coverage

Defense investments and China business ties

His stake in a space-technology company with defense and Chinese investor connections drew conflict-of-interest questions during his Senate races.

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Ruben Gallego

Democratic

U.S. senator; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 48
Net worth · AZ: ~$1M

Arizona senator and Marine veteran credited with strong Latino and working-class outreach in a swing state.

Prior offices held

U.S. representative; Arizona state representative; Marine combat veteran.

Religion

Roman Catholic

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

No family business holdings of note; scrutiny has focused on campaign spending practices and consulting payments rather than private interests.

PAC money accepted

Yes — his 2024 Senate run raised well over $80M with substantial committee support.

Negative coverage

Campaign spending and past remarks

Opponents highlighted his campaign's spending practices and sharply worded past social media posts during the 2024 Senate race.

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Republican

Governor of Arkansas; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 46
Net worth · AR: ~$5M

Arkansas governor and former White House press secretary with national name recognition and strong ties to the party base.

Prior offices held

White House press secretary; senior presidential campaign adviser.

Religion

Evangelical Christian

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Her father is former governor Mike Huckabee, and her administration's no-bid purchases (including the $19,000 lectern) plus her push to narrow the state records law drew audit and transparency scrutiny.

PAC money accepted

Gubernatorial committees report to the state; her campaigns drew heavy national donor and PAC support.

Negative coverage

$19,000 lectern purchase and records law

The state's purchase of a $19,000 lectern and her push to narrow Arkansas's Freedom of Information Act drew bipartisan criticism and an audit.

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Byron Donalds

Republican

U.S. representative; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 50
Net worth · FL: ~$2M

Florida congressman and frequent television surrogate whose name has recurred in running-mate and statewide speculation.

Prior offices held

Florida state representative; financial services professional.

Religion

Christian

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Came from the financial services industry and his wife runs a political consulting and communications firm that has worked with allied conservative organizations.

PAC money accepted

Yes — several million in PAC and leadership-committee money across House cycles.

Negative coverage

Remarks on Jim Crow-era families

Comments suggesting Black families were stronger during the Jim Crow era drew bipartisan condemnation, which he said was taken out of context.

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Marco Rubio

Republican

Secretary of state and national security adviser; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 57
Net worth · FL: ~$1M

Secretary of state and former Florida senator, already vetted for the ticket in 2024 and named again in running-mate speculation.

Prior offices held

U.S. senator from Florida; speaker of the Florida House.

Religion

Roman Catholic

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Past scrutiny over his use of a Florida GOP credit card for personal expenses, a home co-owned with a political ally, and lobbying work by close family associates; no current business holdings of significance.

PAC money accepted

Yes — tens of millions across Senate committees and allied super PACs since 2010.

Negative coverage

Party credit-card and disclosure questions

His use of a Florida GOP credit card for personal expenses as a state legislator drew years of scrutiny and repeated disclosure amendments.

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Rahm Emanuel

Democratic

Former U.S. ambassador to Japan; reported Democratic running-mate option

Testing the waters

Age in 2028: 68
Net worth · IL: ~$25M

Former Chicago mayor and ambassador to Japan who spent 2026 campaigning openly in New Hampshire and is floated for either slot on the ticket.

Prior offices held

Mayor of Chicago; White House chief of staff; U.S. representative for Illinois.

Religion

Jewish

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Made millions in investment banking between government posts, and his brothers' Hollywood and health-care careers keep family-business questions in play.

PAC money accepted

Yes — roughly $10M in PAC and business-committee money across his campaigns.

Negative coverage

Laquan McDonald video and school closings

His handling of the delayed release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video and the mass closure of Chicago schools remain the sharpest criticisms of his record.

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Andy Beshear

Democratic

Governor of Kentucky; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 51
Net worth · KY: ~$1M

Two-term Democratic governor of a deep-red state, cited as proof of crossover appeal.

Prior offices held

Kentucky attorney general; attorney in private practice.

Religion

Baptist (Disciples of Christ upbringing)

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

His father is former governor Steve Beshear, whose administration's appointments and clemency decisions overlapped with his own attorney general and gubernatorial tenure — a family-political rather than family-business tie.

PAC money accepted

State committees report to Frankfort; his reelection drew national party support.

Negative coverage

Pandemic restrictions and pardons dispute

His church-gathering restrictions drew lawsuits, and his handling of clemency and appointments drew repeated legislative pushback.

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Wes Moore

Democratic

Governor of Maryland; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 50
Net worth · MD: ~$5M

Maryland governor and combat veteran widely discussed as a national ticket option for Democrats.

Prior offices held

CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation; Army captain; author.

Religion

Christian

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Held a stake in Robin Hood-affiliated ventures and sold his interest in a startup on taking office; the Bronze Star listing on a fellowship application remains the sharper credibility issue.

PAC money accepted

Gubernatorial committees report to the state; his campaign drew large national donor support.

Negative coverage

Bronze Star application questions

Reporting found he had listed a Bronze Star he was recommended for but never awarded on a fellowship application; he called it an honest error.

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Pete Buttigieg

Democratic

Former transportation secretary; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 46
Net worth · MI: ~$3M

Former cabinet secretary and presidential candidate known as one of the party's strongest communicators.

Prior offices held

U.S. transportation secretary; mayor of South Bend; Navy intelligence officer.

Religion

Episcopalian

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

His McKinsey & Company client list was withheld before public pressure forced partial disclosure; airline and rail industry lobbying access during his cabinet tenure drew watchdog criticism.

PAC money accepted

Yes — his 2020 presidential run raised nine figures, drawing criticism over high-dollar fundraisers.

Negative coverage

East Palestine response criticism

His delayed visit after the Ohio derailment and airline-disruption handling drew bipartisan criticism of his department's response.

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Elise Stefanik

Republican

U.S. representative; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 44
Net worth · NY: ~$3M

New York congresswoman and former conference chair, a prolific fundraiser regularly named in national ticket speculation.

Prior offices held

House Republican Conference chair; White House policy staffer.

Religion

Roman Catholic

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Her husband's construction business and her heavy reliance on corporate PAC and leadership-committee money have drawn watchdog attention; no divestment controversies reported.

PAC money accepted

Yes — tens of millions raised through her campaign, leadership PAC and allied committees.

Negative coverage

2020 election objections and campus hearings

Her objection to certifying 2020 results drew censure calls, and her university-president hearings were praised on the right and criticized as theatrical elsewhere.

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Josh Shapiro

Democratic

Governor of Pennsylvania; reported Democratic running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 55
Net worth · PA: ~$2M

Pennsylvania governor and 2024 running-mate finalist from the country's most contested swing state.

Prior offices held

Pennsylvania attorney general; state representative; county commissioner.

Religion

Jewish (Conservative)

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

No family business holdings; scrutiny has centered on donor access to his administration and his office's handling of a senior aide's harassment settlement.

PAC money accepted

State committees report to Harrisburg; his 2022 race drew record in-state and national money.

Negative coverage

Aide's harassment settlement

A senior aide resigned after a sexual-harassment complaint that was settled with a nondisclosure agreement, prompting criticism of his office's handling.

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Kristi Noem

Republican

Former homeland security secretary; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 57
Net worth · SD: ~$5M

Former South Dakota governor who left the Homeland Security Department in March 2026 after a dispute over a $220M ad campaign; still named in running-mate talk.

Prior offices held

Governor of South Dakota; U.S. representative; state legislator.

Religion

Protestant

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Her family ranching and hunting operations, a state-funded trip tied to family business, and her daughter's expedited state appraiser license drew an ethics complaint and legislative review.

PAC money accepted

Yes — millions through her gubernatorial committee and allied national PACs.

Negative coverage

Memoir account of shooting her dog

Her memoir's description of shooting a young hunting dog set off bipartisan backlash and was widely seen as costing her the 2024 running-mate slot.

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Glenn Youngkin

Republican

Former governor of Virginia; reported GOP running-mate option

Frequently mentioned

Age in 2028: 62
Net worth · VA: ~$400M

Former Virginia governor and private-equity executive whose swing-state win keeps him in national ticket conversations.

Prior offices held

Governor of Virginia; co-CEO of the Carlyle Group.

Religion

Evangelical Christian

Conflict-of-interest / family business ties

Wealth comes from his co-CEO tenure at the Carlyle Group; he kept substantial private-equity and fund interests in a blind-trust arrangement, and Democrats questioned whether state economic-development decisions touched former Carlyle portfolio companies.

PAC money accepted

Yes — his state PAC raised tens of millions, much of it self-funded and from corporate donors.

Negative coverage

Carlyle record and school-policy fights

Democrats targeted his private-equity tenure over layoffs and tax structures, while his school tip line and transgender-student policies drew lawsuits.

Read the reporting