John Kennedy has a quip for every occasion. Is that enough to beat the ‘goobers’ in the 2028 GOP field?

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After hearing Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy unload his characteristically colorful combination of homespun quips, over-the-top insults and Talladega Nights movie quotes to reporters on Friday, former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Michigan Senate GOP candidate with whom Kennedy was campaigning, knew his own words wouldn’t be getting much attention.

“It’s like following the baton twirler in the talent show,” Rogers said. “You know, you’re never going to win that thing.”

Kennedy has taken his act on the road, campaigning with GOP Senate nominees in several states in the closing weeks of this year’s midterm elections — including stops in Ohio on Thursday and Michigan on Friday, where he repeatedly declared that Rogers “pisses excellence.” The 74-year-old Kennedy is “tired,” he said, but still thinking about making a second trip to Alaska and a stop in Texas, both also home to key Senate races, ahead of Election Day.

It’s a calendar that could serve as a prelude to a bid for national office. Kennedy says he is weighing a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. He’ll have to decide soon after the midterm elections whether to seek the White House or run for a third term in the Senate.

He told reporters in Michigan on Friday that as he thinks about a presidential run, his biggest concern is “the goober factor.”

“If a bunch of goobers run, and I don’t think I can be effective in the Senate anymore, then I would consider it,” he said. “But right now, I’m running for reelection.”

What are the differences, CNN asked, in where the so-called “goobers” want to steer the GOP and where Kennedy would like to move the party?

“Let me tell you about goobers — and I’m not going to name goobers,” Kennedy said. “Being a goober is a lot like pornography. It’s hard to define, but you know it when you see it.”

Later Friday night, Kennedy drew loud cheers and a number of laughs during his speech to what Rogers’ campaign said was about 900 attendees at a barn party in Highland — situated in Oakland County, an affluent and highly educated Detroit suburb that is a swing region in Michigan elections.

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But interviews with attendees afterward laid bare the challenge that would confront the Louisiana senator if he tries to translate what works in Washington, and in front of audiences that have never seen him in person before, onto the presidential campaign trail — where voters would demand that he prove he isn’t a “goober” himself.

Even some of Kennedy’s biggest admirers at the barn party told CNN on Friday they thought his wit wouldn’t be enough to fuel a presidential campaign.

Jan Dillaha, a 64-year-old manufacturing company executive in Indian River, said she loves Kennedy and reeled off some of her favorite lines from the senator. She even noted that, in his speech Friday night, Kennedy had omitted one go-to Kennedyism.

“He left out ‘hobo on a ham sandwich,’ which is my personal favorite,” she said.

But as for 2028, Dillaha said, Kennedy “would not be my first pick,” even though she thinks he’d do well as president.

“To be honest, speaking in there, most of the stuff that he said tonight, I’ve heard before,” she said. “But, you know, you can’t do that over the course of two years and not have people get tired of it. So he’s going to have to up his game there.”

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James Semerad, a 70-year-old retired Navy veteran who lives in Clarkston — but once lived in Louisiana — said Kennedy “has a unique way of saying stuff” that connects with the state.

“He’s got good stage presence. He’s got good charisma. And he makes issues funny, rather than just very serious,” Semerad said. “He has a way of twisting some really important points in a way that makes you think. He’s a funny guy, but he’s also a really smart guy.”

What about Kennedy for president in 2028?

“He’ll have to change up his persona somewhat,” Semerad said, “to look more presidential.”

On Capitol Hill, Kennedy’s sharp exchanges with witnesses in congressional hearings often make news . And sometimes, he misfires. That was the case last month, when Kennedy helped Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt hold up a poster displaying text messages as Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of a conspiracy based largely on Schmitt confusing the Atlanta Hawks and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

For all his homey, sometimes movie-inspired and occasionally crude witticisms, Kennedy is also a clear-eyed political operator. He is a former Democrat who switched parties in 2007, after the party’s massive midterm losses, when he was state treasurer. He said his own political operation has been conducting polling on key races this year.

And he acknowledged to reporters that the GOP is facing intense political headwinds this fall.

“The cost of living is a big issue. And it’s more than just dollars and cents. I sense it on both sides. … It’s cost of living, but it’s also people. They’re angry, and if they’re not angry, many of them feel a deep melancholy — and they just feel like, you know, these people in Washington, they don’t listen and they don’t care,” Kennedy said. “And the system no longer works for them.”

Kennedy put his wit to work for Rogers on Friday, first at a joint stop at a manufacturing plant in Sterling Heights, and then at the barn party. For the second event, Kennedy had kept his blue-striped button-down shirt, navy blazer and quartz field watch on a blue and yellow nylon strap, but ditched the charcoal trousers and light brown penny loafers he’d worn earlier in favor of lighter-wash jeans and cowboy boots.

In a roughly nine-minute speech, Kennedy unloaded a series of quips that showcased what has made him a popular figure with those politically plugged-in enough to catch television highlights of congressional hearings and see his interviews on news programs.

If one were to get in between Rogers and what’s best for Michigan, Kennedy told reporters, “he will eat you up and spit the bones on the floor. He will beat you like you stole Christmas.”

He said Democrats are captured by a “Hamas wing” of the party that includes Rogers’ Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, as well as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

And in their debate Thursday night , Kennedy said, Rogers “ripped Dr. El-Sayed a new ashtray.”

Then, he waded into culture wars — sometimes in confusing fashion.

“The good people of Michigan and the good people of America do not deserve to be governed by people who hate George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt and Dr. Seuss and Mr. Potato Head,” he told the crowd at the barn party.

He also suggested to the crowd that Democrats carry around bags of kale for energy boosts.

“This is America. You can do what you want. But to me, kale tastes like I’d rather be fat,” he said.

In about two dozen interviews with attendees, some of whom said they did not want to be named, the possibilities that came up most frequently when discussing the looming race to replace President Donald Trump were Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio. Republicans were split roughly evenly in who they preferred between the two.

Joe Sanda, a 65-year-old company controller who lives in Lake Orion, said Kennedy would rank “maybe in the top five or something” of Republican candidates if he runs for president.

“He’s a great communicator,” he said. “I’ve seen him on TV before. He’s really good. He’s entertaining.”

Kylie Cooper/Reuters

Dave Mann, a 70-year-old retired equipment operator from Fenton, said he would not vote for Kennedy if he runs for president in 2028.

“I think pretty much all politicians are crooked, him included,” he said.

Rogers wouldn’t weigh in on Kennedy’s 2028 prospects, telling CNN the Louisiana senator is “a wonderful guy” and that he’s “known him for a few years,” but that he can’t think past this year’s election.

What does the GOP need in its 2028 nominee?

“A winner,” Rogers said. “I think the next two years is going to say a lot about what direction the party goes.”

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周五，路易斯安那州参议员约翰·肯尼迪向记者们抛出他标志性的、充满乡土气息的俏皮话、过激的侮辱和电影《塔拉迪加之夜》的台词后，与肯尼迪一起竞选的密歇根州共和党参议员候选人、前众议员迈克·罗杰斯知道，他自己的言论不会引起太多关注。

“这就像在才艺表演中跟着耍花棍的人一样，”罗杰斯说。“你知道，你永远也赢不了。”

肯尼迪已将竞选活动拓展至多个州，在今年中期选举的最后几周，他与共和党参议院候选人一同奔走拉票——包括周四在俄亥俄州和周五在密歇根州的行程。在密歇根州，他反复宣称罗杰斯“平庸至极”。现年74岁的肯尼迪表示自己“很累”，但仍在考虑在选举日之前再次前往阿拉斯加，并在德克萨斯州停留一站。这两个州也都有重要的参议院席位争夺战。

这份日程安排或许预示着他将竞选国家级公职。肯尼迪表示，他正在考虑参加2028年共和党总统候选人提名竞选。中期选举结束后不久，他就必须决定是竞选总统还是竞选连任参议员。

周五，他在密歇根州告诉记者，当他考虑竞选总统时，他最担心的是“傻瓜因素”。

“如果一群蠢货参选，而且我觉得我无法再在参议院发挥作用，那我会考虑参选，”他说。“但现在，我正在竞选连任。”

CNN问道，所谓的“傻瓜”们想把共和党引向何方，与肯尼迪想把共和党引向何方，这两者之间有什么区别？

“让我来跟你们说说那些傻瓜——我就不点名了，”肯尼迪说。“当个傻瓜很像看色情片。很难定义，但你一看就知道。”

周五晚些时候，肯尼迪在海兰（位于奥克兰县，底特律郊区一个富裕且受过高等教育的地区，也是密歇根州选举中的一个摇摆地区）的一个谷仓派对上向罗杰斯竞选团队所说的约 900 名与会者发表了讲话，赢得了热烈的欢呼和不少笑声。

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但事后对与会者的采访揭示了路易斯安那州参议员将面临的挑战：如果他试图将华盛顿的成功经验，以及在从未见过他本人的观众面前的成功经验，运用到总统竞选活动中，选民会要求他证明自己不是一个“傻瓜”。

周五，在谷仓派对上，就连肯尼迪的一些最崇拜者也告诉 CNN，他们认为他的机智不足以推动总统竞选。

来自印第安河的64岁制造公司高管简·迪拉哈表示，她很喜欢肯尼迪，并一口气说出了这位参议员的一些经典语录。她甚至注意到，肯尼迪在周五晚上的演讲中漏掉了一句他惯用的“肯尼迪式名言”。

“他漏掉了‘火腿三明治上的流浪汉’，那是我最喜欢的，”她说。

但迪拉哈表示，就 2028 年而言，肯尼迪“不会是我的首选”，尽管她认为他会是一位优秀的总统。

“说实话，他今晚说的那些话，我以前都听过，”她说。“但是，你知道，你不可能两年都这么说，人们总会听腻的。所以他得拿出点真本事才行。”

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现年 70 岁、居住在克拉克森的退伍海军老兵詹姆斯·塞梅拉德（James Semerad）曾居住在路易斯安那州，他说肯尼迪“有一种独特的表达方式”，能与该州产生共鸣。

“他很有舞台魅力，也很有个人魅力。他能把严肃的话题讲得轻松有趣，”塞梅拉德说。“他能巧妙地扭转一些非常重要的观点，引人深思。他是个幽默的人，但同时也是个非常聪明的人。”

如果肯尼迪在2028年竞选总统呢？

“他需要稍微改变一下自己的形象，”塞梅拉德说，“让自己看起来更像个总统。”

在国会山，肯尼迪在国会听证会上与证人的激烈交锋经常成为新闻焦点。但有时，他也会失言。上个月就是如此，当时肯尼迪帮助密苏里州参议员埃里克·施密特举起一张海报，上面印着一些短信，施密特指责前特别检察官杰克·史密斯犯有阴谋罪，而这一指控主要基于施密特将亚特兰大老鹰队和爱荷华大学鹰眼队混淆。

肯尼迪虽然言辞亲切，有时带有电影式的幽默，偶尔也略显粗俗，但他同时也是一位目光敏锐的政治家。他曾是民主党人，在2007年民主党中期选举惨败后转投共和党，当时他担任州财政部长。他表示，他自己的政治团队今年一直在就关键选情进行民调。

他向记者承认，共和党今年秋季将面临巨大的政治逆风。

“生活成本是个大问题。而且这不仅仅是钱的问题。我能感受到双方的感受……这不仅是生活成本的问题，更是关乎民生的问题。人们很愤怒，即便不愤怒，很多人也感到深深的忧郁——他们觉得，你知道，华盛顿的那些人，根本不听民意，也不关心民生，”肯尼迪说。“这个体制已经不再为他们服务了。”

周五，肯尼迪在与罗杰斯的会面中充分展现了他的机智，先是在斯特灵海茨一家制造厂的联合访问中，随后又在谷仓派对上。在第二个场合，肯尼迪依然穿着蓝条纹衬衫、海军蓝西装外套和蓝黄相间的尼龙表带石英表，但他舍弃了之前穿的炭灰色长裤和浅棕色便士乐福鞋，换上了浅色牛仔裤和牛仔靴。

在约九分钟的演讲中，肯尼迪妙语连珠，展现了他为何能成为那些关注政治、经常收看国会听证会电视集锦和新闻节目中对他的采访的人们的偶像。

肯尼迪告诉记者，如果有人胆敢阻挠罗杰斯为密歇根州谋求最大利益，“他会把你吃掉，然后把骨头吐到地上。他会像你偷了圣诞节一样狠狠揍你。”

他表示，民主党已被该党的一个“哈马斯派”所控制，其中包括罗杰斯的民主党对手阿卜杜勒·埃尔-赛义德，以及纽约州众议员亚历山大·奥卡西奥-科尔特斯、佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯和纽约市市长佐兰·马姆达尼。

肯尼迪说，在周四晚上的辩论中，罗杰斯“狠狠地羞辱了埃尔-赛义德博士”。

然后，他涉足文化战争——有时方式令人困惑。

“密歇根州的好人民和美国的好人民不应该被那些憎恨乔治·华盛顿、亚伯拉罕·林肯、西奥多·罗斯福、苏斯博士和土豆先生的人统治，”他在谷仓派对上对人群说道。

他还建议在场的民主党人随身携带羽衣甘蓝以补充能量。

“这里是美国。你想做什么都可以。但对我来说，羽衣甘蓝的味道让我宁愿变胖，”他说。

在对大约二十几位与会者的采访中（其中一些人表示不愿透露姓名），在讨论即将到来的总统继任者之争时，最常被提及的人选是特朗普的副总统JD·万斯和国务卿马可·卢比奥。共和党人对这两位候选人的支持率大致相当。

居住在莱克奥赖恩的 65 岁公司财务主管乔·桑达表示，如果肯尼迪竞选总统，他“或许能排进共和党候选人的前五名左右”。

“他很会沟通，”他说。“我以前在电视上看过他。他真的很优秀，也很有娱乐性。”

凯莉·库珀/路透社

来自芬顿的 70 岁退休设备操作员戴夫·曼恩表示，如果肯尼迪在 2028 年竞选总统，他不会投票给肯尼迪。

“我认为几乎所有政客都是腐败的，包括他自己，”他说。

罗杰斯不愿对肯尼迪 2028 年的前景发表评论，他告诉 CNN，这位路易斯安那州参议员是“一个很棒的人”，他“认识他好几年了”，但他无法考虑今年选举之后的事情。

共和党在2028年提名的候选人需要具备哪些素质？

罗杰斯说：“他是个赢家。我认为未来两年将很大程度上决定该党的未来走向。”