Rubio’s next move? Lawyers eye speech of ‘visionary’ leader for 2028 clues after GOP’s midterm wipeout

Marco Rubio is due to give his first major speech outside his diplomatic work since Republicans suffered heavy midterm losses. Attendees at a conservative lawyers’ convention will be listening for how he assesses the result and whether he signals any future presidential ambitions, as speculation about the 2028 race grows.

The roughly 45-minute Barbara Olson Memorial Lecture is scheduled for Friday in Washington, after Rubio’s trip to Paris for G7 meetings on Iran, Ukraine and other issues. Republicans lost 41 House seats and eight Senate seats, with Alaska’s Senate contest undecided, their largest simultaneous midterm losses in both chambers since 1958. Attendees say Rubio may discuss foreign policy, including the Iran war’s role in the election, as well as the State Department’s funding under a Democratic-led Congress.