By Ricardo Luiz
One of the founders of the Freedom Caucus, the most conservative group in the U.S. House of Representatives, has already picked his candidate for 2028. Representative Marlin Stutzman, a Republican from Indiana, said he is “all in” for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that the party needs to start rebuilding now. His statement came after Tuesday's midterm elections, in which the Republican Party (GOP) suffered historic losses as a “blue wave” carried Democrats to power in federal and state races.
Rubio as a bridge for rebuilding
Stutzman told Fox News Digital that Rubio is the figure the party needs at this moment. “He can be a unifier,” the lawmaker said. The reasoning is clear: Republicans need someone able to bring together the party's factions after a setback that left the GOP without a majority in either the House or the Senate.
Immigration message and the election count
The most significant part of Stutzman's remarks concerns strategy rather than Rubio. He argues that Republicans should move away from a message focused on deportations and instead highlight what he sees as an achievement: closing the border. He also proposes a path for people already in the United States illegally, provided they comply with the law. “No citizenship, just work visas,” he said.
The numbers are stark. Even with some races still undecided, Democrats already hold at least 54 seats in the Senate. In the House, the projection is 240 seats for Democrats against 147 for Republicans. Democrats also won state governments that had been considered difficult, including in Texas and Iowa.
Why it matters
The Freedom Caucus is a bloc of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives, and its founders carry weight in internal Republican debates. Rubio serves as Secretary of State in the administration of President Donald Trump. Midterm elections take place halfway through a presidential term and determine control of Congress.
Vice President JD Vance was direct in attributing part of the defeat to a specific factor. In a long post on X, he wrote: “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.” Vance also challenged those who argue the war was worth it to say openly that losing the Senate for the next six years was an acceptable cost.
Vance and Rubio are seen as the party's main names for 2028. The open question is whether the positions they hold in Trump's government will weigh against their ambitions. The internal contest has already begun, and the GOP must decide whether rebuilding means changing its message or simply choosing the best face to sell the same ideas.
VDD Analysis
The defeat hurts, but Stutzman's move shows that the American right is not standing still. By arguing that the party should take credit for border security and stop revolving around deportations alone, the congressman points to a political path that could win back voters who drifted away. Choosing Rubio as a unifier makes sense for those who want less internal noise and more focus on the conservative agenda.
