Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said he has no plans to run for president in 2028.
“No, I have no intention of doing so, period,” Hawley told the Washington Examiner.
The Missouri Republican’s statement squashes speculation that he was considering a White House run.
HAWLEY WON'T RUN: Sen. Josh Hawley has ruled out a 2028 presidential campaign, ending speculation that the Missouri Republican could seek the White House after President Donald Trump's second term. https://t.co/rkX5DA10fA
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) September 16, 2026
More from the Washington Examiner:
He declined to elaborate further or even weigh in on the list of possible contenders. Vice President JD Vance is seen as the heir apparent should he decide to run, but could face a crowded GOP field. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY) are among the Senate Republicans hinting at a run next cycle, when President Donald Trump will be term-limited.
ADVERTISEMENT“I have no insight to offer you on 2028, one way or another,” Hawley said at the Capitol. “I don’t know who will run or what will happen. We need to get through these elections first.”
Hawley has repeatedly broken with the Trump administration since the start of the new Congress, inviting questions over whether he might be positioning himself for higher office.
He’s long been an ally of the president and objected to the certification of the 2020 election. But that alliance has frayed at times, with Trump lashing out over his Venezuela war powers vote and a stock trading bill Hawley co-sponsored.
Hawley, whose term ends in 2031, has been one of the most prominent anti-abortion advocates in the Senate.
He has criticized the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to approve mifepristone, a pill that induces abortions.
In the interview, Hawley warned potential GOP presidential contenders not to ignore religious conservatives, calling them the “backbone” of the party.
“You cannot win anything without them. You cannot win a primary without them. You cannot win a general election without them. And I would caution anybody who thinks that you can do without them in our voting coalition — you will have a voting coalition of like 10% without religious conservatives, without evangelical Protestants, without conservative Catholics, without conservative Orthodox Jews. So, I’d be real careful about trying to marginalize that coalition,” he told the Washington Examiner.
Meanwhile, Hawley is teaming up with Christian groups to push Republican officeholders and candidates to sign a “Declaration for Life” pledge to fight for legislation restricting abortion.
“This is a declaration for life for life, calling on the country to once again embrace a culture of life and in particular to put a stop to the scourge of the abortion drug known as mifepristone,” Hawley announced at the first Missouri Prayer Breakfast, according to The Hill.
Hawley to push GOP officeholders, candidates to sign ‘Declaration for Life’https://t.co/Hz6kEq1czm
— The Hill (@thehill) September 16, 2026
The Hill shared further:
The declaration was drafted by more than 30 pastors from around the nation and signed by more than 100 pastors from Missouri and 50,000 citizens to coincide with the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“We think that this declaration written by pastors calling on spiritual leaders and everyday Christians across America to stand for life and to confront the scourge of chemical abortion is so critical on this 250th anniversary,” Hawley said.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a leading national Christian public policy ministry, and Sean Feucht, a Christian singer and founder of the Let Us Worship movement, joined Hawley in unveiling the pledge.
Perkins, a longtime Christian leader, declared the Republican Party has “lost its voice” on “life” issues.
“Unfortunately the Republican Party has lost its voice on the life issue and in that vacuum there are leaders that are stepping forward like Sen. Hawley calling upon the church, communities and the country to step up on behalf of the unborn,” he said. “I’ve seen the movement on the life issue, we’ve made great progress but there’s been a tremendous setback.
“I think we’ve reached the point where we have to call upon the faith community, the pastors, Christian pastors, to step into this vacuum and speak unequivocally about the sanctity of human life and hold elected officials accountable to a standard. This is a starting point of establishing a standard for what we should be aspiring to as a nation,” he added, thanking Hawley for his leadership.
Perkins pointed out that the Republican National Committee removed its call for a national abortion ban from its official party platform in the summer of 2024.
Hawley introduced legislation in March to ban the use of mifepristone for abortions and to give women the power to sue the drug’s manufacturers. His bill would withdraw the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone for abortion and make distribution and labeling of the drug for ending pregnancies a violation of the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
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