(7 May 2026) The state of US politics is as volatile as ever. Much of the uncertainty is due to President Donald Trump whose bull-in-a-china-shop mercurial style often leaves rivals and opponents exasperated and on the defensive. The ongoing conflict in Iran is the latest of Trump’s gambits as it remains to be seen how it will eventually play out. As oil prices soar and the world economy teeters on the edge of an inflationary abyss, Trump threatens to undermine his presidential legacy.
Certainly, the Republican Party’s November midterm prospects have suffered a major blow as a result of Trump’s attack on Iran. Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low of 41% with the GOP not faring much better. A loss of the House of Representatives seems probable and now even the Senate is up for grabs. A gridlocked Washington is therefore likely after November in which Trump’s legislative agenda will be blocked by an energized Democratic Party. And no doubt the impeachment cycle will begin anew.
But how might Trump’s declining popularity affect his party’s chances in 2028? Even if there is more economic fallout from the Iran conflict this year, it’s very possible that the economy could right itself by 2028. This could lift the GOP’s chances, or least remove some of the negatives associated with Trump’s chaotic administration.
GOP 2028: Vance or Rubio?
The race for the 2028 GOP nomination has largely narrowed to just two candidates: Vice president JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Vance is usually seen as the heir-apparent to Trump as he has been a loyal and articulate defender of the president’s agenda. More recently, however, Rubio has been gaining on Vance in the political betting markets like Polymarket. His February EU speech in Munich drew accolades from many quarters and established him as a genuine contender to succeed Trump. What are his chances?
Looking at his untimed horoscope (May 28, 1971, 12:00 p.m. EDT Miami, FL), I would say his chances of winning the GOP nomination are excellent and even the presidency is well within his grasp. While we don’t have a birth time for Rubio, the chart cast for noon still offers some key information.
The importance of progressed stations
The political astrologer Richard Houck identified progressed planetary stations as perhaps the most important element in the chart of any prospective candidate. Houck determined that winning candidates would invariably have progressed direct stations while losing candidates would either have progressed retrograde stations or no progressed stations at all. Houck reasoned that since elections were pivotal moments in a person’s life, the energy and “torque” required to win could only be supplied by a stationary progressed planet. As a rule, planetary stations are more powerful and are often implicated in major life events, for good or ill. In his political forecasting, Houck used secondary (day for a year; 1:365), tertiary (day for a lunar month; 1:27) and minor progressions (lunar month for a year; 1:13).
In my experience, I have found Houck’s focus on progressed stations to be very useful. I predicted Donald Trump’s 2024 election win based largely on his multiple progressed direct stations around the time of the election. Losing candidate Kamala Harris had no progressed direct stations and indeed she had two progressed retrograde stations in late 2024.
Marco Rubio seems certain to win the Republican nomination in 2028 because he has secondary progressed Jupiter stationing direct on July 14, 2028. This will be a huge boost for his career and status. Since secondary progressed Jupiter moves very slowly, the positive influence of this station may not be specific to the month of the July but will likely be spread across several months in 2028. Since the GOP convention will take place in late August, this Jupiter station should be sufficient to make him the party’s nominee for president. Its favorable influence may also be felt in November at the time of the election.
Another progressed direct station occurs on February 23, 2027 when tertiary progressed Pluto turns direct. Although this is well before the start of the campaign, Pluto stations are closely identified with political matters due to its association with power and dominance. Pluto direct stations typically occur when personal power is significantly enhanced. We could therefore see Rubio take a major step forward in early 2027 as his campaign gains supporters and endorsements from influential party members or he notches a major foreign policy win which further establishes him as a viable candidate.
The next progressed direct station occurs on April 10, 2028 when tertiary progressed Uranus turns direct. A progressed Uranus direct station during primary season (Feb-Apr) is another strong indication of victory and winning the nomination.
Rubio’s win in the primaries is even more likely since his principal opponent JD Vance will have a tertiary progressed retrograde station of Mercury on February 13, 2028. All retrograde stations of progressed stations are negative in their effects on a candidacy and having this retrograde station occur in the middle of primary season will be a huge obstacle for Vance. Tertiary progressed stations do not necessarily have an impact exactly on the day of the station, but in the weeks that precede and follow the station. I would say that Vance’s fortunes are likely to ebb from January to March (+/- 4 weeks from the Rx station), Rubio’s will be positive from March to May and the time around the April direct station of tertiary progressed Uranus.
If Rubio will be the GOP nominee, what are his chances of winning the presidency? At the moment, I’m less certain about his prospects in November. The secondary progressed Jupiter direct station in July 2028 will still help him but it could be too far away from November to be decisive. And without any station during the key Oct-Nov election window, he could run out of gas.
I do note a positive Venus minor progressed direct station on Dec 28, 2028 less than a month before the January 20th inauguration. That’s definitely auspicious for him but minor progressed stations are less powerful than tertiaries or secondaries since they occur more frequently. It would be better for his chances if the station was in November rather than late December.
Moreover, Rubio will have his tertiary progressed Mercury turn retrograde on January 2, 2029. This is a definite negative for him. If he wins, then it is possible it could pertain to some problems occurring in the post-election transition period. And at least it isn’t happening in Oct-Nov when these things matter most. But it is broadly unfavorable for his political ambitions just the same.
Gavin Newsom
His likely opponent will be Democrat Gavin Newsom. Newsom will have his secondary progressed Saturn turn direct on September 13, 2027. Saturn may not be the best planet to have station, but it is direct and therefore probably good for him. He could well formally announce his candidacy for president around this time.
Minor progressed Mercury turns direct on January 30, 2028 right at the beginning of the primaries. This is a very good influence to have for a candidacy that is looking to build momentum and seek endorsements.
But it may not be smooth sailing for Newsom. On June 23, 2028, minor progressed Jupiter will turn retrograde. This is far enough away from the primaries to avoid damaging his results, but it a definite negative.
A more important negative influence will follow soon after as tertiary progressed Pluto will station retrograde on July 2, 2028. While this is less likely to affect his primary performance (Feb-Apr),it is not a helpful alignment to have just one month before the Democratic convention in August. Could Newsom somehow fail to win the nomination? These two progressed retrograde stations suggest it’s possible although since they occur well after the primaries their manifestation could be some other aspect of the campaign. And yet the tertiary progressed Pluto retrograde station is much more damaging than the minor progressed Jupiter retrograde station. It’s certainly a bad retrograde station to have in the middle of an election year.
Newsom’s political fortunes look mixed around the time of the election on November 7, 2028. His tertiary progressed Saturn will station direct on November 3 — just four days before the election. That’s a definite plus for him, although the fact that it’s Saturn and not some other planet may be a source of lingering doubt about its effects.
But the election picture isn’t entirely upbeat since tertiary progressed Mercury will station retrograde just one week after the election on November 15, 2028. This is close enough to the election to significantly diminish his odds of winning.
The bottom line
Although Rubio looks like a shoo-in for the GOP nomination, I’m less sure that he will win the presidency. Just on the basis of these progressed stations, Rubio looks more likely to win than Newsom, mostly on the strength of Rubio’s secondary progressed Jupiter direct station in July. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence which should correspond to a major advance in his life. And Newsom’s Mercury tertiary progressed retrograde station in mid-November seems incompatible with winning the presidential election on Nov 7.
I’ll revisit these 2028 campaign charts as circumstances change. Needless to say, obtaining Rubio’s birth data would be very useful and would help to clarify matters.
