Haley Rules Out a 2028 Run as the Race to Lead the GOP After Trump Takes Shape

Nikki Haley will not be on the ballot in 2028.

The former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador under President Trump said Wednesday that she is not running for the White House, telling CNBC, "I am not running in 2028," according to Newsweek and The Hill. She said she would keep talking about the issues she cares about, push good policy and support good candidates, The Hill reported.

Bloomberg reported that Haley ruled out the run after Republicans' midterm losses. In an interview on Bloomberg's Balance of Power, she tied her decision to the need for Republican unity and for party members to show they are willing to fight, according to Bloomberg's summary.

Haley also offered a measured view of the field. She described the Democrats' 2028 bench as strong and said Republicans also have a chance to field a strong slate, Newsweek reported.

Her announcement comes as Republicans absorb last week's results. The party lost its majorities in both the House and the Senate, Newsweek reported, and the question of who leads the party after Trump is suddenly urgent.

Trump himself has signaled he may stay out of it. In an interview with 60 Minutes, he said he may be better off not getting involved in endorsing a successor, according to Newsweek.

Vice President JD Vance has said he believes Trump would endorse him if he ran, though the two have not discussed it, Newsweek reported. Last month he pointed to four areas a pollster identified as priorities for voters: ending the Iran war, the cost of living, America First policies and the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to discuss 2028 when asked by a reporter, according to Newsweek. Some House Republicans are already urging him on: Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana told Politico he hopes Rubio runs, and Rep. Mike Haridopolos of Florida has also backed a Rubio candidacy, Newsweek reported.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been critical of the party, told CNN's Jake Tapper he has not planned anything, Newsweek reported. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the midterm results pushed him to consider a run of his own.

As the sitting vice president, Vance has a national platform that no other potential candidate can match, while Rubio's role as the nation's top diplomat keeps him in the headlines nearly every day. DeSantis brings a record of two terms running one of the country's largest states.

Political scientists told Newsweek that Haley's exit reshapes the early field. Columbia University's Robert Shapiro said Haley had been a natural alternative to Vance and that her decision helps Rubio, and perhaps Sen. Ted Cruz. Syracuse University's Grant Reeher said her exit opens a lane for a more traditional Republican path, most notably for Rubio.

Primaries are won long before the first vote is cast. Donors, staff and early-state activists are already sizing up the field, and every name that steps aside changes the math. Haley's decision removes one of the party's best-known national figures from the race, and it leaves the early conversation centered on Vance, Rubio and DeSantis.

For conservative voters, that is a healthy debate to have in the open: how to build on the America First agenda while winning back the suburban and independent voters who swung away this fall. The candidates who answer that question best, on prices, on the war and on the border, will have the strongest claim to lead.

Potential candidates are likely to watch Trump's signals before making moves, Newsweek reported, and none of the Republicans named in its report has announced a campaign. Watch for early-state visits, new political action committees and staff hires, the usual first signs that a candidate is getting serious. Haley, for her part, says she will keep speaking out and helping candidates she believes in.