Siliconservatives: 2028 roster

Lets Get Ready For Rumble

If you read my previous article, you’ll know that the financial leader of the tech-savvy right Peter Thiel, is probably short on money at the moment, but won’t be for the 2028 presidential election. Thiel has significant sway over former coworkers, either directly or indirectly. I’ve written at length about David Sacks, Thiel’s oldest political ally and current member of fellow Thiel associate Elon Musk’s inner circle. Both are politically active and likely to give their support to candidates.

The purpose of this list is to outline why certain candidates might be backed in a bid for the 2028 Republican Primary by the conservative billionaires of the Bay Area, and how strong I think their fundamentals are as candidates there within. I’m also going to point out that none of these candidates are particularly great, there are better Republicans in terms of popularity and electability. These are the candidates that could win the primary, but might also do their job by potentially spooking the front runner into offering up the VP position or otherwise securing the influence of the Thiel/Musk/Sacks/Andreessen* polycule. Given how far away the race is, I will be giving these potential candidates the benefit of the doubt on most of their potential issues. High ceilings matter more than high floors, as is essentially the Silicon Valley venture capitalist’s view towards investing.

*I’m going to use “Thiel” interchangeably with this group because Thiel is usually the one who makes the first move in terms of donations.

With that being said, let's see who the Siliconservatives will be putting their money behind in the Republican race for the White House.

D Tier

Blake Masters

Everyone’s favorite based would-be Senator from Arizona owes everything to Peter Thiel, the only man he has ever worked for. Blake failed spectacularly in 2022 and is looking to rectify that loss by attempting to take up the mantle of Arizona’s 8th congressional district. Blake is already facing challenges in the Republican primary from the Kari Lake endorsed Abe Hamadeh. It remains to be seen which 2022 loser, Thiel or Lake, the national Republican Party would tolerate more with a proxy congressman.

Blake Masters did not do well in 2022 even when compared to other Arizona Republicans. Blake has a nasty habit of saying things that get him into trouble. Such quotes include: “It's people in Chicago, St. Louis shooting each other. Very often, you know, Black people, frankly” and responding to a question about his favorite subversive thinker with “I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this, how about, like, Theodore Kaczynski”. In the words of venture capitalist Jason Calacanis when speaking to one of Blake’s biggest donors: “Oh god, he’s so unpopular, your guy is so unpopular”. Blake will have to get some better PR guys in 2028, who would ideally convince him to get rid of any stray Burzum albums or collected “German Army” memorabilia.

What about policy? In terms of what Blake will do for Silicon Valley, I don’t foresee any limits to how far he would go to appease his old (but probably still current) boss, Peter Thiel. Blake has shown that he’s willing to compromise in ways that are certainly not ‘based’, such as his softer stance on abortion that was adopted as it became clear that hardliners would not be doing themselves any favors. Abortion was one of the issues that Blake’s master, David Sacks, said Republicans need to stop fighting Democrats on. Unfortunately for Sacks, he was also under the impression that Blake Masters could make up for being a racist Stanford grad who only worked for VC firms by supporting a more moderate 15 week ban.

Pros:

• Not geriatric

• Extremely flexible on policy

• Will maybe win an election in 2024

• Campaign manager Cum_Groyper_1488 has done great outreach in the past

Cons:

• One of David Sacks’ investments, likely to collapse in 2 years

• Very few redeeming personal qualities

• Statistically the worst Republican in Arizona

• Photographs could leak of Blake in what he would charitably describe as a “vintage Hugo Boss suit”

C Tier

J. D. Vance

Peter Thiel’s only successful bet in 2022, J.D. Vance has made it to the Senate successfully. Besides that Vance still unfortunately has a lot in common with Blake Masters. Vance’s victory in Ohio was much closer than it should have been, and came after a brutal primary where he made very few friends. Vance was forced to make a turn towards Trump in order to secure his victory, even after previously denouncing him in an attempt to be a more moderate candidate.

There isn’t much appeal to J.D. Vance on his own, he jettisoned any potential moderate primary voters by kissing Trump’s ring, and the MAGA hardliners will almost certainly have a candidate they prefer over Vance. The narrow pseudo-populist/National Conservative lane in the Republican Party that has emerged around people like Ron DeSantis and Senator “Based” Mike Lee is Vance’s best chance for a lifeline of support. How large that contingent will be remains to be seen, but it’s a position that would allow Vance to potentially peel off Trump supporters.

What about Vance’s positions? Pretty much the same as Blake Masters, but more insulated from Thiel by institutional support from Republicans. Vance would certainly be a boon for his fintech backers but owes favors to people that would take issue with the influence of Silicon Valley.

Vance isn’t much better than Blake Masters, but I couldn’t put him in the same tier when one of them has actually gotten elected.

Pros:

• Has won an election

• Not prone to racist outbursts (yet)

• Liked by national Republican Party

• Able to use the services of Cum_Groyper_1488 if needed

Cons:

• Not loyal to Trump

• Lacking any wedge issue or movement to represent

• Has long list of enemies

• Adult Catholic convert

Ron “Diamond Dion” DeSantis