Megyn Kelly’s recent segment with Glenn Greenwald put a spotlight on a question every conservative should be asking: could Senator Ted Cruz actually mount a serious challenge to Vice President J.D. Vance in a 2028 GOP primary? The conversation wasn’t idle chatter — it was a recognition that the post-Trump Republican battlefield is already taking shape and that serious souls on the right are debating who can best lead our movement forward. Conservatives owe it to the country to follow these debates with clear eyes and a focus on results.
The blunt reality is that J.D. Vance is not some fringe figure waiting in the wings; he is the sitting vice president and has shot to the top of early 2028 GOP polling, commanding lion’s-share support in surveys that show him well ahead of the pack. That kind of front-runner status matters — it brings donors, organization, and a platform to defend American values without having to reinvent the wheel every campaign season. Conservatives who care about victory should respect momentum when they see it and not reflexively reward internecine feuds that hand advantages to our opponents.
At the same time, we can’t pretend that the idea of a Cruz challenge is fanciful; Ted Cruz is unmistakably laying groundwork for a 2028 bid and is sharpening differences with some in the media and on the right over foreign policy and strategy. Cruz’s willingness to draw a line on interventionism and to stake out traditional conservative ground means he could appeal to a slice of the party that worries Vance is too cozy with certain media influencers. That said, conservative voters must weigh whether an intra-party swordfight helps reclaim America or just hands momentum back to the left.
Don’t be fooled by the headlines that pretend this is only about personalities — J.D. Vance is being attacked from both the left and from dangerous fringe corners of the right that would rather tear down conservatism than build it up responsibly. The ugly episodes involving fringe figures and their attempts to bait and break mainstream conservatives prove one thing: the right must police its own ranks and stand up for decency while remaining unafraid to challenge the left’s lawless agenda. Showing strength against extremists while defending a proven leader is not a contradiction; it’s leadership.
Megyn Kelly and other fair-minded commentators have rightly called out the hypocritical fury aimed at Vance and argued that much of the noise is manufactured to distract from real policy battles. Conservatives who want to win in 2028 should recognize that the most important question isn’t who throws the loudest insults but who can actually beat the left and restore common-sense governance. We need fighters in the arena, yes, but we also need organizers, fundraisers, and a message that resonates with hardworking Americans from Ohio to Texas.
So here’s what patriotic conservatives should take away: vigorous debate is the lifeblood of our movement, but reckless primaries and theater fights between big egos will only fracture the coalition that put our country back on the right path. If Cruz runs, he should make a case on policy and leave the tribalism behind; if Vance keeps leading, the right should rally around substance and not surrender the field to the Democrats’ chaos. The choice in 2028 must be about who gets results for America — not who wins a cable-news shouting match.
