“Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered his young family — in particular, his newborn son — as a model and a window to the future that the potential 2028 presidential contender envisions for America,” NBC News reports.

“In a speech here at the Republicans’ midterm convention, Vance broadly criticized Democrats who he said do not share his values.”

“He also homed in specifically on two Democratic candidates this fall in Michigan: Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed and Will Lawrence, who is seeking a House seat. Vance seized on Lawrence’s since-deleted social media posts that were critical of the nuclear family.”

New York Times: Vance, eying 2028, relishes the spotlight at Trump’s convention.

“Vice President JD Vance looked very much like a presidential candidate-in-waiting at the Republican convention this week. He delivered a prime-time address, met with delegates from battleground states and headlined a high-dollar fundraiser with GOP donors,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Vance’s Thursday night speech fired up the crowd, as he laid out his vision for the America he wants his children to grow up in while painting Democrats as extreme. During the speech, audience members said the quiet part out loud, shouting ’48!’ Donald Trump is the 47th U.S. president, and the next one will be the 48th.”

Washington Post: “Thursday night, Vance is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the convention, after Trump praised him and generated applause for Vance the evening before. It’s the latest sign that Trump is quietly giving his nod for Vance to be the party’s heir-apparent, even as the president has not made an explicit endorsement.”

Said Trump: “You know, I watch him, last week, and he was standing there with like 20 guys behind him, all central casting, all look like they just got out of the greatest law schools. And I said, it looks like Eliot Ness. It’s Eliot Ness in the old days.”

USA Today: “Vance’s primetime address on Sept. 10 will provide the 42-year-old politician with one of his last best opportunities before the midterm election to convince skeptical MAGA voters he has the charisma and showmanship to lead the party into its next era.”

“He will be addressing his largest crowd at the convention since he accepted his party’s nomination for vice president in 2024, with the GOP boasting a 20,000-person crowd of lawmakers, candidates, donors and the Republican Party faithful both evenings.”

“The political stakes for Vance are high — both at the convention and over the next 54 days, a make or break stretch for the anticipated 2028 presidential candidate. As the party’s midterm messenger and finance guru, Vance’s political fortunes will be closely tied to the election’s outcome.”

“Vance is smart to be laser focused on the midterm elections. He has proven to be one of the most prolific fundraisers the GOP has. It is pretty clear that if he runs for president in ’28, he will be the nominee.”

— A person close to the White House, quoted by Politico.

Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) said he “might” mount a primary challenge to Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) in 2028, NewsNation reports.

Said Deluzio: “I might, I haven’t decided that. And to be really blunt, I’m doing everything I can right now to help Democrats in Pennsylvania flip congressional seats to give Josh Shapiro a governing majority in the state Senate and grow the majority in the state House.”

He added: “John Fetterman’s nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail. And again, to be very blunt, I don’t think there’s any Democrat in Pennsylvania who wants him campaigning with them.”

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may still be mulling what she does in 2028. But her outreach to one particularly disaffected — and surprising — slice of the electorate could offer a clue to how she’s preparing for her future,” Politico reports.

“Ocasio-Cortez told Emma Vigeland in a July interview for ‘The Majority Report’ that she’s been meeting with people in the Make America Healthy Again movement — an unexpected courtship for one of Democrats’ most prominent progressives.”

“The past couple of weeks have shown the gauntlet Vice President JD Vance will have to navigate if he seeks to sew up the GOP nomination for president in 2028,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“He will need to stay close to President Trump while also owning the fact that he is not President Trump.”

“Ted Cruz isn’t hiding his presidential ambitions—and he is taking some digs at the presumptive front-runner along the way,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The 2028 contest hasn’t started yet, and there is still a midterm election in November. Vice President JD Vance, who is leading in early polls of potential Republican nominees, is campaigning for candidates in tough races and fundraising for the party.”

“But Cruz, the Texas senator and firebrand conservative, is already putting in the legwork in Iowa, hitting the podcast circuit and embarking on a book tour. He is also quietly asking people if they would be interested in working on his 2028 bid, according to people familiar with the requests.”