Vice President JD Vance last week in Dallas at the Republican Midterm Convention appeared to make a strong case for becoming the GOP standard-bearer and the party's 2028 presidential nominee – without even having to announce a campaign.

To be sure, the race is still two years away, and Vance is a ways away from potentially launching a presidential bid. But his closing night keynote speech certainly gave him a big stage to audition for the role.

“We gotta take care of business this November, then we’ll worry about what comes next,” he said with a grin and amid chants of "48," meaning the country's next and 48th president.

"Vance got something close to a 2028 audition," ABC wrote about the vice president's performance. 

The news outlet also said his keynote speech "offered a glimpse of how he is positioning himself within the Republican Party – as a potential heir to the MAGA movement who can speak its language while attempting to broaden its appeal."

Betting odds heavily favor Vance for the nomination, with Poly Market assigning him a 50% change to winning the nomination, compared to his nearest competitor, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at 18%. 

In a TV interview aired ahead of Vance's Thursday night address, Rubio said, "I don’t know what the future holds, but I have no plans at this time." Rubio, who is friends with Vance, ran for president in 2016 and lost the nomination to now-President Donald Trump. 

I’m 100 percent focused on my job," he also said.

Vance’s speech also saw him take the opportunity to address many disaffected Republican-leaning voters, acknowledging that the administration had lost some of their support.

“Young men, many of whom felt inspired by Charlie Kirk, but are unhappy with some of what has happened in the wake of his death, and I want to speak directly to that group because I think Charlie is a great example of how to disagree but still participate in the work of saving this country,” he said, further highlighting Kirk’s strong opposition to war.

“What I'm asking you to do is do what Charlie did. Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” he said. “Don't give the country over to a bunch of crazy people because you happen to disagree with us on a policy issue here or there ... . What I am asking you to do is to recognize the contrast with the radicals and recognize the achievements of the last 18 months.”

Vance’s comments appear to be one of the most prominent recognitions from the administration that the war in Iran has alienated many voters who supported Trump in 2024. The outreach, moreover, seems to demonstrate Vance is trying to connect with a group of voters to whom he is far closer in age, and possibly sentiment, than is Trump.

Vance role at the convention is not his only, recent high-profile exposure that could position him for a 2028 run. 

With his appointment by Trump earlier this year as administration “fraud czar,” Rubio has take on a public-facing role responsible for cracking down on misuse of public funds. 

Trump himself highlighted Vance’s role on the final night, in a string of further pledges to his supporters, linking Vance’s prospects to the success of the administration.

“And with JD and everybody else, we will win the war on fraud," Trump said from the stage. "You know we've got billions and billions of dollars already in our coffers of money that we caught on fraud. It's going to be – I would bet – it will be over a trillion dollars by the time we're finished.”

In addition, Vance in late August spoke to the Republican Jewish Coalition, in what many viewed as an opportunity for him to assuage that community’s concerns over his continued association with Tucker Carlson, who has emerged as a vocal critic of Israel.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.