One of JD Vance’s former Senate colleagues is emerging as a leading contender to become his running mate if Vance launches a 2028 presidential campaign.
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt has developed a close relationship with Vance and is regarded as a top potential pick for the ticket, Axios reported Tuesday.
According to the outlet, Vance considers Schmitt “trustworthy, intelligent, and articulate.”
Schmitt, 51, previously served as Missouri’s attorney general before winning election to the Senate in 2022. Vance has not formally declared a 2028 presidential bid.
Donald Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of Vance and Marco Rubio running together in 2028, although he has not indicated which of the two he would prefer to lead the ticket.
Rubio has also been discussed as a possible vice presidential choice, but he has sought to cool the speculation.
“I’m not a candidate for anything right now,” Rubio told Colombian broadcaster RCN earlier this month. He said his focus remained on his two current roles as secretary of state and national security adviser.
Former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz voiced support for Schmitt in a post on X, writing: “I would support any ambition of Senator Schmitt.”
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri speaks while Vice President JD Vance listens during an event at the FBI Field Office in Kansas City on September 14th, 2026
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks in Washington on September 29th, 2026
Mike Howell, president of the conservative legal group the Oversight Project, also praised Schmitt, describing him as a “rockstar” in a post on X.
A longtime former Senate GOP aide told Our News Outlet that the appeal of a vice presidential nominee often lies less in what the candidate adds than in the problems they avoid. “You don’t want headaches,” the former aide said, suggesting Schmitt could be viewed as a relatively drama-free choice.
On Tuesday, however, Schmitt stumbled during questioning of former Special Counsel Jack Smith over an allegation that Smith attended an Atlanta Hawks basketball game in 2024—an event Smith said he did not remember.
“I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing, right around that time, and the Marshals’ service was there with me,” Smith told Schmitt.
“You can check if that was the exact date. It was Maryland playing Iowa, I think February of 2024, but again, you could check that out if that’s what we’re talking about,” Smith added.
Senator Amy Klobuchar then interjected, asking Schmitt whether the reference might have been to the University of Iowa, whose teams are known as the “Hawkeyes.”
“Maybe before we show this kind of thing,” it could have been examined “more carefully,” Klobuchar told Schmitt. She added that people should have their “facts straight before they accuse someone of being a dirtbag, and not get the teams wrong.”
“Teams, you had the teams wrong, sir,” Klobuchar told Schmitt as she defended Smith.
Speaking to the Huffington Post after the hearing, Schmitt defended his line of questioning. “I don’t know if Jack Smith’s lying or not. It was the only game—Atlanta was the only NBA game or men’s college basketball game that night at 7:30,” he said.
Schmitt previously worked alongside Vance when both men served in the Senate on Capitol Hill.
Since Vance took a job in the administration, the duo have worked together in the VP’s role as the White House Fraud Czar.
The two are leading a coordinated legislative and executive push to crack down on fraud in a number of federal programs, including COVID-19 relief and healthcare fraud.
After a meeting of the White House anti-fraud Taskforce earlier this year, Schmitt shared in a media release that ‘Vice President Vance has done an incredible job cracking down on fraud and exposing rampant waste, fraud, and abuse of our federal programs. ‘
Alluding to their work together, Schmitt added the ‘In the Senate, I am proud to lead the Anti-Fraud Task Force to work alongside this Administration to strengthen federal oversight and hold criminals accountable so we can ensure federal programs actually help Americans in need.’
Schmitt would also bring experience as Missouri’s attorney General, a leader in the Republican Attorney Generals Association (RAGA), and even vice chair of the Joint Economic Committee to the table as a potential VP pick.
Matt Gaetz, a former Republican Congressman from Florida who now serves as a host at the right-wing One America News Network, praised Schmitt in a post on X
US Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican from Missouri, looks on as former US Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 29, 2026
Long before seeking elected office, Schmitt played varsity football and baseball at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, an NCAA Division II school.
He has held elected office at the state and local level, and has also been a partner in a law firm in private practice.
Dan Rene, a conservative communications strategist, told Our News Outlet that ‘it is way too early to be picking a VP but never too early to have fun speculating.’
He added that he sees ‘Schmitt as an interesting candidate because he understands technology and has authentic and authoritative insight into where AI, communications, and the economy are headed.’
‘Any ticket will have to effectively communicate about the future instead of re-litigating the past,’ Rene concluded.
Representatives for Vance did not respond to requests for comment from Our News Outlet.
