MILWAUKEE — With his ascension to the 2024 presidential ticket as Donald Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance has vaulted into the role of heir-apparent of the MAGA movement and become an instant White House contender for 2028.

Donald Trump Jr. said the nomination means there’s “a very high chance” Vance could become president in 2028 if he and Trump win in November.

“(Vance is) the one guy in that movement that’s a current politician that’s out there that actually, really speaks sort of to the ‘America First’ people,” he said at an event hosted by Axios Tuesday. “It isn’t like we’ll be right back to the establishment. … That’s where our base is. That’s where the Republican Party is.”

It’s a remarkable twist of fate for the former Trump critic who only came into politics in 2022.

But even as the move propels Vance to the forefront of conversations about the party’s future, he is far from a lock for a presidential nomination of his own, political observers say.

Fifteen vice presidents have gone on to become president, while eight ascended upon the death of the president. Just a handful were elected to the position in their own right.

“JD Vance has certainly launched himself into a place of national prominence,” said Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann, who oversees Republicans’ consequential first-in-the-nation nominating contest every four years in the Hawkeye State. “If he becomes our next vice president, and I believe he will, he is in a premium spot of national leadership. But in 2028, I think we will have a robust caucus.”

Vance will have a massive platform through the remainder of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he was formally nominated to the ticket Monday.

But the event is also a major showcase of up-and-coming leaders from around the country who could make their own arguments to succeed Trump as the party’s standard bearer in 2028.