Sen. Kennedy teases presidential bid ‘if a bunch of goobers run’

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Sunday he would run for president in 2028 “if a bunch of goobers” seek the Republican nomination .

During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Louisiana Republican said his plans “right now” are to run for reelection to the Senate in 2028 .

But Kennedy noted that if he does not think he “can be effective” in the upper chamber, he “would consider” a bid for the Oval Office.

“I haven’t made a decision. … On my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers, and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running. But right now, I’m running for reelection,” he told host Kristen Welker.

Kennedy, who entered the upper chamber in 2017, has campaigned for Senate Republicans in multiple states this year, including when he visited Nebraska to stump for Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) last month.

Kennedy will be 77 on Jan. 20, 2029, the date of the next scheduled presidential inauguration.

If elected and sworn in as president that year, Kennedy would become the third-oldest president at the time of inauguration — behind President Trump at the start of his second term and former President Biden.

Vice President Vance leads in the majority of polls for the potential 2028 GOP field. A survey from Harvard University, the Harris Poll and HarrisX conducted in late September found Vance leading Donald Trump Jr. by 15 points among Republican respondents.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and political commentator Tucker Carlson rounded out the top six.

The vice president told Robert Costa of CBS News in June he would discuss a presidential run with his wife, second lady Usha Vance, after the November midterms. Usha Vance gave birth to the couple’s fourth child in July.

When Welker asked John Kennedy about the possibility of running against the vice president, he shot her down, saying he was “not going to talk about” another potential 2028 candidate.

“I’m just not there yet,” the Louisiana Republican added. “I assume JD is going to run … but I think it’ll be good for both parties to … have a full field.”