Cruz and even deSantis have too much of an “elite” manner to take over the mantle but Vance has more of the people touch.
His autobiography (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy), which has already been made into a movie, takes a more nuanced view than he now seems to be espousing, so it’s not clear where he really stands. But I think he has the capacity to appeal to Trump’s base – and then to take it God knows where.
Source: Opinion | How a senator’s stunt proved the Trump dictatorship theory – The Washington Post