Republicans should cancel the 2028 primaries, caucuses, and national convention to save themselves time, money, and drama.

Vice President J.D. Vance is the presumptive nominee.

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Unless the Republican Party suffers a political collapse in the 2026 midterm elections worse than the fate of Republicans in 2006 and Democrats in 2010, the question of who will carry the party’s banner in 2028 is already answered. Vance will succeed Trump.

History, polling, and political reality all point in the same direction. Vance’s position as vice president makes him Trump’s natural heir. He leads every reputable national poll of likely Republican primary voters by margins that dwarf his closest would-be competitor. His advantage is so great that even the most well-financed, well-connected challenger would be mounting, at best, a forlorn hope.

This isn’t speculation.

We saw the same scenario in 2024, when Trump walked away with the nomination even though Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley were serious contenders.

The 2028 contest would be no different. Pretending otherwise is political theater that wastes hundreds of millions of dollars.

Going through the motions with primaries and caucuses in 56 states and territories costs an astronomical amount of money. In addition, the expense of staging the Republican National Convention in Houston and the price tag for a nomination process with a preordained outcome easily reach hundreds of millions.

Even if some state Republican parties canceled their primary or caucus, some process would still have to occur. Moreover, there should still have been a convention. That all costs money.

The GOP could instead plow those resources into a sustained, relentless general election campaign against the Democrats’ nominee.

Of course, hoteliers and tourism officials in Houston will not like this idea. Canceling would mean the loss of tens of thousands of visitors and a big payday.

It’s also true that the Republican National Committee would have to pay a hefty cancellation fee for backing out of its contract to host the convention in the Space City. That’s unfortunate, but it’s a one-time cost — and one far smaller than the expense of staging the entire convention.

The Republican Party is fundamentally a private club that exists solely to win elections. It’s not a platform for symbolic or vanity campaigns.

The only wild card is the 2026 midterm elections.

If Republicans suffer a historic defeat, Vance’s inevitability will be questioned. But if Republicans hold their ground or make gains, it will be because the Trump-Vance administration remains popular, and that popularity will carry over into 2028.

The Democrats will not politely wait for Republicans to finish a long, expensive primary season before starting their attacks. They will define Vance early, mobilize their base, and pour resources into swing states from day one. Republicans can’t afford to spend the first half of 2028 fighting each other while the opposition is organizing and fundraising.

The GOP could immediately pivot to the general election by canceling the nomination campaign and convention. Vance could spend 2027 and 2028 traveling the country and building a unified coalition.

RUBIO’S LATEST JOB: VANCE PARTNER

Politics is about winning. And winning means making smart, sometimes tough, decisions.

Canceling the primaries, caucuses, and conventions may be unusual, but it’s the right move. The money, time, and energy saved could be the difference between victory and defeat in 2028.

Dennis Lennox is a political commentator and public affairs consultant. He is a former Republican state party executive director. In 2024, he administered the third-in-the-nation primary or caucus for Republicans. Follow him @dennislennox on X.