Senator John Kennedy has confirmed he is considering a run for president in 2028.
During an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, moderator Kristen Welker asked the Louisiana Republican directly whether he was thinking about running for the White House.
“Yeah,” Kennedy replied.
“My plans right now are to run for re-election, but as I’ve said before, if I don’t think I can be effective in the Senate anymore, I would consider it,” he said.
The 74-year-old up, who is also up for Senate re-election in 2028, said his decision could depend on the quality of the Republican field.
“On my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running,” Kennedy said.
“But right now, I’m running for re-election.”
John Kennedy says he’s considering running for president: ‘Why not me on a rainy day?’ https://t.co/C93VKCRLrQ pic.twitter.com/RjQMCpLGPO
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 4, 2026
Kennedy declined to discuss how he would stack up against Vice President JD Vance, who remains the leading contender for the Republican nomination.
“I’m not going to talk about another potential candidate,” he said. “I’m just not there yet.”
Kennedy added that he believes “it’ll be good for both parties to have a full field.”
The Republican field remains wide open, although President Donald Trump has previously identified Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as potential successors.
Rubio said in September that he has “no plans at this time” to seek the presidency.
Meanwhile, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has repeatedly suggested he plans another run after his unsuccessful campaign in 2016.
🚨Report: Texas Senator Ted Cruz is considering running for President in 2028 by asking people if they would be interested in working on his campaign in 2028 and he is making trips to Iowa pic.twitter.com/n6FdvCUZ6x
— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) September 3, 2026
Formal campaign announcements are expected after the midterms.
