With just 28 days until Election Day, I can’t predict who will win. But after last week’s vice-presidential debate, I predict Sen. JD Vance of Ohio will be the frontrunner for the 2028 GOP nomination.

Even if Democrats win the White House in November, Vance will instantly become the most sought-after headliner for GOP fundraisers ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Capitol Hill, the junior senator from Ohio will be a power player in the fight to pick a successor to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as the top Republican in the Senate.

This is the payoff for Vance’s undeniably smooth performance during last week’s vice-presidential debate. He deftly sidestepped his extreme, out-of-the-mainstream positions on issues such as abortion, climate change and election fraud. He lied frequently. And he looked good doing it.

His success opens the door to the next version of the GOP after it stops being The Trump Party.

With the slick Vance in the lead, the GOP now has a pretty face and articulate voice to disguise its reliance on Trump’s ugly formula of lies, conspiracy theories and “America First” isolationism.

That Trump brew has stirred up non-college-educated voters, especially white men in small towns, who are filled with anxiety about the high-tech economy and angry about the rising numbers of non-whites in the country.

And with Vance as their leader, the Republican Party can execute........

© The Hill