J.D. Vance has assumed lead fundraising duties for the Republican National Committee, an unprecedented arrangement that suggests it’s not a question of whether President Donald Trump backs the vice president for the GOP nomination in 2028—but when.
That’s at least the consensus of a handful of veteran party insiders. “It’s brilliant on J.D.’s part,” a former senior RNC official told The Dispatch shortly after the announcement Tuesday that Vance would become the next RNC finance chair. “It puts him in heir-apparent role.” This Republican insider, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Vance’s assumption of this key post is prompting some current RNC members to speculate: “Is there even going to be a primary in 2028?”
“This will give him direct and ongoing relationships with every high-dollar donor in the party,” added Doug Heye, a Republican operative and former RNC aide. “For someone who has been in Washington for only a few years, Vance will be able to create a potentially unrivaled donor network.”
The idea for Vance to take over as finance chairman, settled on weeks ago, originated inside the RNC (it did not require a vote of the 168 committee members). Party officials then consulted with Trump’s political team, who in turn brought the proposal to the president. Trump liked the idea and signed off, knowledgeable sources told The Dispatch.
Amid the obvious benefits to Vance, including the possibility other 2028 contenders will be discouraged from seeking the GOP nomination, the RNC also stands to gain. Republicans lately have been relying on the financial largesse of technology mogul Elon Musk and his super PAC while Trump has been focused on raising money for his network of political action committees. Vance’s new association with the RNC makes the organization newly relevant and will help it compete for campaign cash.
For the RNC, there are immediate priorities, particularly the 2026 midterm elections, with the party defending narrow majorities in the House of Representatives and United States Senate.
“J.D. will do a fantastic job as finance chair,” Trump said in a statement the RNC issued Tuesday.
“Vice President Vance is the definition of an American success story, rising from a childhood where his family faced great struggles to become one of the youngest vice presidents in our nation’s history,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley added. Per an RNC press release, this is the first time a sitting vice president has served as the party finance chairman, a role usually filled by wealthy business executives who also are bigtime GOP donors. This individual usually invests a significant amount of time on the telephone, and traveling, for donor meetings and fundraisers.
Vance, 40, has enjoyed a meteoric political rise.
The vice president was a complete unknown when his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published in June 2016. Five years later, he was a first-time candidate for any office (and newly converted from Trump critic to Trump supporter) when he sought the GOP nomination for an open Ohio Senate seat. Two years after that he arrived on Capitol Hill as a first-time lawmaker. And last November he was elected the 50th vice president.
Vance’s quick ascension means he hasn’t had as much time to build up a political network, and a team of operatives, as other presidential candidates eyeing a 2028 bid might. Trump, prohibited by the Constitution from running for a third term, has been neutral on his party’s 2028 presidential primary—at least publicly. In a February interview, he declined to clear the 2028 field for Vance. “I think you have a lot of very capable people,” the president told Fox News’ Bret Baier.
Serving as RNC finance chair can help Vance beef up his fundraising, both in terms of acquiring donors and building a finance operation needed to handle the day-to-day tasks of raising money, including event planning, preparing briefings candidates use to familiarize themselves with contributors and fielding basic questions the check-writers may have—about the candidate, his or agenda, or an upcoming fundraiser. “This lays all the groundwork for his [presidential] run,” said a Republican strategist in the vice president’s home state of Ohio.
Still, Vance’s 2028 foundation is hardly barren.
Vance has influential voices in his corner generally, including Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., media provocateur Tucker Carlson, and Peter Thiel, a wealthy venture capitalist and GOP megadonor.
Plus, Trumpworld sources describe the vice president’s new RNC role as a “continuation” of the 2024 campaign. During that four-month period, Vance headlined dozens of Trump campaign fundraisers across the country, allowing him to meet and forge connections with many of the party’s most loyal and prolific financiers. Vance likely will be able to rely on an additional source of financial support: the Rockbridge Network, a group of connected and wealthy Republican donors who, according to the New York Times, stand ready to back the vice president’s expected 2028 bid.
Some Republican insiders are even wondering if there is another motive behind Vance’s new RNC post besides preparing for a 2028 campaign and bolstering the national party’s finances.
One theory, offered by a veteran GOP operative familiar with the inner-workings of the RNC, is that Trump and his team want to keep a tighter leash on Vance’s political activities and avoid a repeat of the first half of Trump’s first term: Then-Vice President Mike Pence assembled a political operation that functioned independently of Trump and his closest advisers, causing some friction between the two running mates.
“Vance already knows a lot of the donors and can develop relationships in his role as the VP,” this GOP operative said. “This seems to me more like an opportunity to prevent him from creating his own network.”
