Romney’s ex-strategist says JD Vance is doing something unthinkable to win in 2028, and it involves a dark strategy

Stuart Stevens, who ran Mitt Romney‘s 2012 presidential campaign, made a bold claim on MSNBC Sunday. He said Vice President JD Vance thinks he needs to “defend Nazis” to get ahead in the Republican Party.

During the segment, host Alex Witt asked Stevens whether he expected further violence in the aftermath of Good’s death, given the outrage and demonstrations that have unfolded across the country. Stevens acknowledged that, in his view, more violence was likely, in part because of how polarized and charged the situation had become. 

“Yeah, of course there’s going to be more violence,” Stevens said. He also said “we should find out if a grand jury will charge him with murder,” according to Mediaite. The shooter was an ICE officer who shot Good last week.

Vance’s defense strategy stems from party competition dynamics

Stevens criticized Vance for defending the ICE officer who shot Good. “This is not unique, [ICE agents] do not have immunity as JD Vance tries to pretend,” Stevens said. “It just goes to sort of a sickness at the core of the Republican Party. Why does JD Vance go out there? Why does JD Vance go out there and defend Nazis?”

Stevens believes Vance does this to win the 2028 Republican nomination against Marco Rubio. The Vice President has faced recent security concerns at his residence while navigating political challenges. However, he continues to support Trump’s controversial policies. 

“This was an attack on law and order. This was an attack on the American people. The way that the media by and large has reported this story has been an absolute disgrace and it puts our law enforcement officers at risk every single day,” Vance said, defending the ICE agent who shot Good. 

Stevens explained that Vance knows how to move up in today’s Republican Party. He said the way to advance is by being the most extreme. Vance is competing with Rubio in what Stevens called a “shadow battle” for the nomination.

According to Stevens, Vance thinks defending Nazis will show he’s willing to go further than Rubio. He described this as something “deeply sick” that has happened in the Republican Party. The ongoing rivalry between Vance and Rubio has exposed tensions within the White House.

Earlier, Vice President JD Vance came under mounting criticism after playing down a cache of leaked Young Republicans group messages containing racist, antisemitic and violent language. He dismissed the remarks as “stupid things” said by “young boys”, comments that drew swift backlash from political opponents and civil rights groups.

Host Witt told Stevens and guest Molly Jong-Fast they gave viewers a lot to think about. She also agreed that most law enforcement officers follow the law and deserve respect for their difficult jobs. Stevens now works as a senior adviser for The Lincoln Project.