President John Neely Kennedy?
That's not a far-fetched idea--at least, not after the U. S. Senator from Madisonville said that he's considering running for the Republican nomination in 2028.
Kennedy spoke at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm's College on Friday. According to attendees, Kennedy said he was planning to run for reelection to the Senate in 2028. He added that donors had approached him to run for president and that he was not ruling out the idea.
We've reached out to Senator Kennedy's office for comment.
If Kennedy were to run, what are the chances he would win the Republican nomination?
"It's hard to tell," LSU political science professor Robert Hogan said.
Hogan says because Kennedy has aligned himself closely to President Donald Trump's priorities, he could find himself in the thick of the race.
"If those priorities are the ones that the Republican Party wants to run on in 2028, then I think that Kennedy would be well-positioned in that way," Hogan said.
Hogan also noted that Kennedy has a history of adjusting to political winds. That, Hogan says, could help Kennedy during a presidential campaign.
"He has certainly changed parties and changed his opinions to move in a direction that fits the moment, and someone like that, you can't count them out in a race that's going to be as open as the 2028 presidential race," Hogan said.
Political analyst Ron Faucheux says if Kennedy does run, he would be an interesting candidate.
"I think a lot of people in the country would be entertained by him," Faucheux said, noting that Kennedy's folksy manner and his direct, blunt way of expressing his views would help Kennedy attract attention during the race. "Whether that attention would convert to votes? We don't know, but it could."
According to Faucheux, Kennedy's media savvy could help him build national support. Faucheux says Kennedy would need to build that support among both the Republican base and independent voters.
"Ultimately, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican, it's not just the voters of your party that elect you, it's the independent voters that elect you," Faucheux said. "Kennedy, I think, would be in a position to attract some support nationally, and if (Kennedy) can do that and get into the debates, who knows where (he goes) from there."
