Why Marco Rubio Is Suddenly a 2028 Frontrunner, Vance’s GOP Challenge and Iran’s Real Story

Next Up with Mark Halperin

MK Media

News, Daily News, Politics

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On today’s “Next Up with Mark Halperin,” Mark’s reported monologue reveals why Marco Rubio is enjoying an extraordinary golden moment in the political sun and what it means for 2028. Beyond Rubio’s love affair with the Dominant Media and the favorable comparisons to JD Vance. Mark looks at some of the Secretary of State’s past bumps in the road and lays out what his sources say are the most likely outcome of the search by President Trump and the party for a successor to the incumbent. Then, NewsNation’s Leland Vittert joins the show for a wide-ranging conversation about what the media is fundamentally missing about Iran, the reshaping of the Middle East, and the broader geopolitical stakes beyond the daily headlines. Mark also tackles the backlash to his latest “8 for ’28” rankings, unpacking the criticism, the political implications, and why the loudest reactions may actually validate the conversation. Finally, Hyma Moore maps out how Democrats can slow down Marco Mania (and Rubio’s momentum) before he becomes a major 2028 threat. Acre Gold: Turn your pocket change into physical 24-karat gold and enter to win a limited-edition Hot Wheels gold bar at https://GetAcreGold.com/Mark 120Life: Go to https://120Life.com and use code NEXTUP to save 20% Bank On Yourself: Discover the retirement plan banks Don't want you to know about—get your free report at https://BankOnYourself.com/Mark Follow Next Up with Mark Halperin on all social platforms: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nextuphalperin TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nextuphalperin X (Twitter): https://x.com/NextUpHalperin Connect with Mark Halperin on social media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markevanhalperin X (Twitter): https://x.com/markhalperin Find the full audio show wherever you get your podcasts: Apple — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-up-with-mark-halperin/id1810218232 Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/show/2f0n8G4xqUo8aGxbbbtRjH%3Fsi%3D8e4ff54000cc438d

Transcript

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0:00.0	And we vault into our second year. Next up, one year anniversary in the rearview mirror.
0:08.5	Year two begins now. I'm Mark Halperin. Welcome to Nextup, you Nexters. I'm the editor-in-chief of
0:14.9	Two-Way and your host here for another year. Grateful to you for being here. A great show for you, two fine gentlemen
0:22.7	are going to walk us through a bunch of stuff. Leland Vittert will be here, the News Nation. Chief
0:27.6	Washington anchor host of On Balance with Leland Bitterd at 9 p.m. on News Nation. And Leland and I are
0:33.1	going to talk about how the media has covered the Iran conflict and what are things that are going well,
0:38.5	maybe not so well. And his perspective is a former Middle East correspondent and someone who
0:43.2	understands the nuances. Would you book the Iranian foreign minister or the head of the Iranian
0:48.9	parliament? Would you book them on your TV show or your podcast if you had one? Leland,
0:53.3	I will sort that out.
0:54.3	And then Haima Moore will be here.
0:55.5	He's a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs.
0:57.9	He used to be a big job at the DNC and is a new member announced this week on the morning meeting on two-way.
1:04.1	We're going to talk about how things are going politically from the Democratic perspective.
1:08.7	Also, our new segment, 8 for 28, hate,
1:11.7	we'll take a look at how many of you reacted, including some brutal feedback to the May
1:18.2	rankings that I put out, including my daring, shocking, maybe super risky inclusion of Bernie
1:25.6	Sanders on the list for the most likely Democratic nominees.
1:29.7	What are you all saying about it and where do people think I got things wrong?
1:33.0	And a few of you think I got some things right.
1:35.0	So we'll take a look at that.
1:36.5	But first, my reported monologue this episode is on two Republican heavyweights,
	...

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