Sen. Josh Hawley Rules Out 2028 Presidential Run

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has stated that he has no plans to run for president in the 2028 election cycle.

"No, I have no intention of doing so, period," Hawley told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.

While the current focus for Republicans is on retaining congressional majorities in the upcoming November elections, the political landscape will inevitably shift towards the 2028 presidential race, which will feature an open contest without an incumbent.

Hawley, who has served in the Senate since 2019 and was re-elected in 2024, emphasized the critical role of conservative religious voters in the Republican Party's success. "You cannot win anything without them," he said, according to the Examiner. "You cannot win a primary without them. You cannot win a general election without them."

He cautioned against alienating this demographic, stating, "I would caution anybody who thinks that you can do without them in our voting coalition — you will have a voting coalition of like 10% without religious conservatives, without evangelical Protestants, without conservative Catholics, without conservative Orthodox Jews."

President Donald Trump, constitutionally barred from a third term, could play a role in endorsing candidates for the 2028 Republican presidential primary.