Were Rubio and Cruz smart in not running this cycle?

[PoliticsWatcher1]

Did they make a right choice in waiting for another cycle or would it not have made a difference?

[Senator Incitatus]

Yes; they remain in strong position to be President some day and would probably have destroyed that possibility if they ran.

[darklordoftech]

Yes. The last thing they need is another bruising fight against Trump.

[The Economy is Getting Worse]

Yes. Live to fight another day.

[Meatball Slayer]

Yes, especially Robot Rubio, given that Chris Christie is in the running yet again.

[Medal506]

I don’t think Rubio will ever run for president again. Cruz might in 2028 or 2032 though.

[dw93]

I don’t think Rubio will ever run for president again. Cruz might in 2028 or 2032 though.

If anything I think it'll be the opposite. I'd be a bit surprised if Cruz was still in the senate past 2030, while Rubio will likely be there as long as he wants to be and can even make a run in the 2040s as some sort of elder statesman.

[Skill and Chance]

I don’t think Rubio will ever run for president again. Cruz might in 2028 or 2032 though.

If anything I think it'll be the opposite. I'd be a bit surprised if Cruz was still in the senate past 2030, while Rubio will likely be there as long as he wants to be and can even make a run in the 2040s as some sort of elder statesman.

Cruz is really smart but too extreme to make friends.  DeSantis is now having similar problems to a lesser degree.  I could see Cruz eventually trying again, but I can't see him winning the nomination.

Rubio had a decently appealing platform and good coaches/consultants, but he's just not that bright and it showed.  Really hard to come back from looking that fake/pre-programmed. 

[Independents for Nihilism]

Yes. I wouldn't be surprised if one of them re-emerges in 2028 and manages to snag the coveted "Trumpism with normalcy" lane in the primary since they didn't piss off the base in 2024. Assuming Trump himself doesn't (or isn't eligible to) give it another go, or doesn't annoint a different successor.

DeSantis could have done the same, in retrospect, but I had assumed he'd be too irrelevant after being out of office two years and needed to go for broke this cycle. That doesn't really apply to incumbent Senators with national profiles.

[Sumner 1868]

It's amazing these dead horses are still being suggested.

[Medal506]

It's amazing these dead horses are still being suggested.

I think Ted Cruz or Rand Paul could win in 2028 if Trump doesn’t run. Rubio thought I would agree because he’s not well liked.

[Agonized-Statism]

Yes, but Cruz was very much a relic of the early 2010s GOP even in 2016 while Rubio could still make a post-Trump comeback if he was shrewd enough.

[ShadowRocket]

I don’t think Rubio will ever run for president again. Cruz might in 2028 or 2032 though.

I think you may be right. I'll be surprised if Cruz doesn't run again in 2028 but I can see Rubio becoming an elder statesman type ironically. Maybe he gets picked as VP or SoS down the line.

[GregTheGreat657]

I can see Cruz running as soon as Trump is out of the picture

[SWE]

Yes. They're actually not in horrible places long-term - they're young enough and we'll known enough that if they're patient, they're very likely to be around for whatever the first post-MAGA era GOP (party dynamics can change very fast and sometimes over not-that-long spans of time - we really have no way of knowing how it's current, Trump-dominated iteration will last). Impossible to say what that'll look like, but they'd probably both start out as at least credible based on name recognition, and that starts them off with a huge edge that they may end up thriving in. I'm not saying it's likely, but in 1995, I don't think an eventual Joe Biden presidency looked especially likely. Taking on an unwinnable race against Trump, however, would do nothing but give them both additional baggage and diminishing their credibility, making the long-game even more of a long-shot

[Reactionary Libertarian]

I can see Cruz running as soon as Trump is out of the picture

Cruz could be a future Bob Dole- eventually nominated but people know he isn’t going to win.

[Vice President Christian Man]

I don’t think Rubio will ever run for president again. Cruz might in 2028 or 2032 though.

If anything I think it'll be the opposite. I'd be a bit surprised if Cruz was still in the senate past 2030, while Rubio will likely be there as long as he wants to be and can even make a run in the 2040s as some sort of elder statesman.

Rubio is young enough that he could be the GOP's Biden so it wouldn't shock me if he's on a VP ticket sometime in the future especially if Florida becomes competitive again.

[Samof94]

Cruz is running for reelection so he's got his hands full.

[Medal506]

Cruz is running for reelection so he's got his hands full.

That’s actually a perfect excuse for him to stay out of the race this time