JD Vance is already taking shots at a potential Republican presidential rival, offering a thinly veiled jab at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as the party’s possible 2028 contenders begin circling one another well before the next presidential campaign formally begins.

Vance is widely tipped to lead the Republican ticket in 2028. His close ally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is viewed as an outside possibility, but Cruz has recently inserted himself into the conversation while openly questioning Vance’s presidential credentials.

Cruz and Rubio both ran against Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016. Now Cruz is arguing that the party should hold a competitive process in 2028 instead of allowing the president to select the nominee by political decree.

Cruz said there should be a “full and vigorous primary and discussion” over who leads the Republican campaign. He contrasted that with the president merely “anointing” one candidate and said the “democratic process is a good way to decide.”

Those comments put Cruz squarely in Vance’s path, even if neither man is formally declaring a 2028 campaign yet. The early maneuvering has exposed the makings of a MAGA civil war over who gets to inherit the Republican presidential machinery.

During an interview with NBC News, Vance was asked whether he might reconsider a presidential campaign if Republicans suffer a disastrous result in the midterm elections. His response carefully avoided committing to either running or stepping aside.

“Right now, I try not to think too much in hypotheticals,” Vance said. “I’m just going to try to do as well as I can and encourage people to elect the candidates that I think are good.”

“The American people make that decision, and when they do, then yeah, I’ll have some new information to consider,” Vance added. The answer left him room to reassess his position after voters deliver their verdict in the midterms.

Vance was considerably less hesitant when the subject turned to Cruz. Although he insisted he was not bothered by Cruz’s apparent effort to stir a Republican civil war, he made clear that he had noticed the Texas senator’s presidential positioning.

“It is really obvious to me that, at this very moment, Ted Cruz is running for president,” Vance said. That assessment amounted to a direct swipe at Cruz while allowing Vance to portray himself as the Republican focused on the immediate election.

“At this moment, I’m not. I’m trying to help elect Republicans. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing,” Vance said, drawing a pointed contrast between his stated priorities and the ambitions he attributed to Cruz.

A spokesperson for Cruz offered a remarkably similar insistence that the senator remains occupied with the midterms. The statement emphasized Cruz’s work for Republican candidates rather than directly addressing Vance’s accusation about a presidential campaign.

“Senator Cruz has been focused on electing Republicans up and down the ballot this November, and he will continue campaigning vigorously over the next several weeks to help make that happen,” the spokesperson told NBC News.

Cruz, however, has repeatedly discussed both the future of the Republican Party and his own presidential ambitions. Speaking to MS NOW’s Way Too Early last month, he promised a broader argument over the party’s identity and direction.

“There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz said. Days later, during an appearance on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast, Cruz acknowledged that his interest in the presidency was hardly hidden.

Cruz said it is “no secret that I want to be president.” When he was directly asked whether he intended to run, however, the senator stopped short of announcing another campaign and replied, “Time will tell.”

“I will say, this is a bug that history has proved is rarely ended,” Cruz added. “It is a permanent and often fatal bug.”

Cruz was similarly cautious when questioned during his Pod Force One appearance about another run in 2028. He pushed the discussion beyond the midterm elections, even as his public comments continued fueling speculation about his plans.

“There will be plenty of time to have that conversation, but the time to have it is after the midterms, not before,” Cruz said. For now, both men claim to be focused on electing Republicans while making sure everyone notices the other man’s ambitions.