As I’ve noted many times before, Harris couldn’t run on Biden’s record, because it was unjustly unpopular. She couldn’t run as a credible change agent, either. That left her with nothing except Trump’s record and the threat he posed to liberal democracy, which wasn’t enough.
J.D. Vance will be in a slightly different position in 2028. He will have to defend every inch of Trump’s record. Any initiatives of his own will have to be described as logical extensions of Trumpism. He will be running as a perpetual outsider who is actually responsible for the condition of the country.
Will it work? Only if Trump is viewed as a roaring success by the electorate, which seems highly unlikely.