Cruz calls Vance “insecure” as Republican 2028 rivalry escalates
Version 2: New outlets joined the coverage, adding Cruz's midterm travel and his 2022 campaigning for Vance, his endorsements in gubernatorial primaries, and commentary that the 2028 Republican primary contest is already under way.
In short
Sen. Ted Cruz called Vice President JD Vance “insecure” after Vance said in an NBC News interview that it was “really obvious” Cruz is running for president. Cruz told Politico he is focused on the midterms and on helping Republicans win “in the next 30 days,” and pointed to campaign travel for GOP candidates. Neither man has formally announced a 2028 campaign; Newsweek reported prediction markets put Vance far ahead of other potential contenders.
Read the full story 2 min read
Sen. Ted Cruz called Vice President JD Vance “insecure” after Vance said Cruz was already running for president, in an exchange reported by Politico, the New York Post, Newsweek, Fox News and The Hill. Cruz's remarks came in a phone interview with Politico published Saturday, in response to a Vance interview with NBC News. Vance is a possible contender for the 2028 Republican nomination; Cruz, who ran in 2016, has left open the possibility of another bid. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
“In my experience, people engage in political bomb-throwing when they're feeling insecure,” Cruz said, according to Politico. “So he's welcome to make whatever comments he likes. I'm going to keep focusing on the midterms and helping us win on Election Day in the next 30 days.” Vance had told NBC News: “It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president. At this moment, I'm not. I'm trying to help elect Republicans. That's what I'm going to keep on doing.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
Newsweek reported that Cruz pushed back on suggestions he is prioritising a White House bid, pointing to travel on behalf of Republican candidates in Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska and South Carolina, with additional events planned in Alaska, Florida and North Carolina. Fox News reported a similar schedule. The Hill reported that Cruz also noted he campaigned for Vance when Vance first ran for Ohio's Senate seat in 2022, saying: “I was very glad he won that race. I was very glad to help him.” [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The New York Post described Vance as widely seen as the 2028 frontrunner and noted Cruz finished second to President Trump in the 2016 Republican primary. It reported that Cruz told MS NOW in August he would “certainly be part of the discussion” in 2028 and suggested Vance does not have a lock on the nomination, and described a party split between traditionalists like Cruz, who favour free markets and fiscal restraint, and MAGA Republicans who want to keep a populist direction and stay out of foreign entanglements. The Hill also cited the August MS NOW remark and said Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have dominated early discussion of who might succeed Trump. [ 2 , 5 ]
Newsweek reported that prediction markets give Vance a significant advantage: on Polymarket's Republican nominee market he was trading at roughly 50 percent, ahead of Rubio at about 15 percent and Cruz at 3 percent, with a similar picture on Kalshi. Newsweek stated that neither Vance nor Cruz has formally announced a presidential campaign. [ 3 ]
In follow-up coverage, The Hill published a column saying the increasingly personal barbs showed “the 2028 Republican primary officially underway” and the gloves coming off, and CBS News discussed the exchange with Democratic strategist Ofirah Yheskel and Republican strategist Jesse Arm. The Hill said it had reached out to a Vance spokesperson for comment. [ 6 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The exchange publicly frames the contest to succeed President Donald Trump as the 2028 Republican nomination race, more than two years before the election, with the New York Post describing Vance as the widely seen frontrunner and The Hill saying the primary fight has effectively begun. Both men are potential candidates who have not formally announced, so the dispute is mainly a signal of positioning while the party campaigns for the 2026 midterms.
Key facts
- Ted Cruz called JD Vance “insecure” in a phone interview with Politico published Saturday. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Vance told NBC News it was “really obvious” that Cruz is running for president, adding that he himself is not. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Cruz said he would keep focusing on the midterms and helping Republicans “win on Election Day in the next 30 days.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Cruz said he has campaigned for Republican candidates in Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska and South Carolina, with further events planned in Alaska, Florida and North Carolina. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Newsweek reported Polymarket's Republican nominee market showed Vance at roughly 50 percent, Marco Rubio at about 15 percent and Cruz at 3 percent, with a similar picture on Kalshi. [ 3 ]
- The New York Post described Vance as widely seen as the 2028 frontrunner and noted Cruz finished second to President Trump in the 2016 Republican primary. [ 2 ]
- Cruz told MS NOW in August he would “certainly be part of the discussion” in 2028 and suggested Vance does not have a lock on the nomination. [ 2 , 5 ]
- A follow-up Hill column said the 2028 Republican primary is “officially underway” and the gloves are coming off between the two. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Cruz called Vance “insecure” in response to Vance's comments about him. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Vance made his remarks about Cruz in an interview with NBC News. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 ]
- Cruz said his focus is on the midterms rather than a presidential campaign. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Cruz's response came in a phone interview with Politico. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- Cruz ran for the Republican nomination in 2016 and finished second to President Trump. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Cruz told MS NOW in August he would “certainly be part of the discussion” about 2028. [ 2 , 5 ]
- Vance is described as a frontrunner or the early favourite for the 2028 Republican nomination. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]
Still unclear
- Exactly when Vance's NBC News interview and Cruz's Politico phone interview took place. Politico says Vance's interview was on Thursday and its own interview was on Saturday, but no times are given for either conversation; only the outlets' publication times are known.
- Whether either man will formally enter the 2028 race. Newsweek states that neither has formally announced a presidential campaign, and the other documents describe the talk only as speculation about the 2028 race.
- The prediction-market figures on the Republican nomination contest. Only Newsweek cites Polymarket and Kalshi numbers; the other documents do not mention betting or prediction markets.
- Which states Cruz has campaigned in this cycle. New York Post and Fox News list Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska and South Carolina in addition to planned events, while Fox News also includes “his home state of Ohio” among the states Cruz campaigned in even though other documents identify Cruz as a senator from Texas.
- Cruz's midterm endorsements, including Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson and South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Alan Wilson, both of whom won their primaries. Reported only by The Hill among the documents.
- The claim that the 2028 primary is effectively under way. This is the framing of a single Hill column rather than a statement by either campaign.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Politico publishes its phone interview with Ted Cruz, who calls JD Vance “insecure” and says he is focused on the midterms (Oct. 3). [ 1 ]
- The New York Post reports the exchange and describes Vance as widely seen as the 2028 frontrunner (Oct. 4). [ 2 ]
- Newsweek reports the dispute and cites prediction-market odds putting Vance ahead of other potential Republican contenders (Oct. 4). [ 3 ]
- Fox News reports the clash and Cruz's campaign travel for Republican candidates (Oct. 4). [ 4 ]
- The Hill reports Cruz's “insecure” remark and his account of campaigning for Vance in his 2022 Ohio Senate race (Oct. 5). [ 5 ]
- The Hill publishes a follow-up column saying the 2028 Republican primary is “officially underway” (Oct. 5). [ 6 ]
- CBS News airs a segment on the exchange with Democratic strategist Ofirah Yheskel and Republican strategist Jesse Arm (Oct. 5). [ 7 ]