(NewsWorthy.news) – Former President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has unveiled a shortlist of potential vice-presidential candidates.
The list includes four senators: Ohio Senator J. D. Vance, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, Florida Senator Marco Rubio and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott. The campaign is also considering New York Representative Elise Stefanik, Florida Representative Byron Donalds, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
Trump’s vetting process required more documentation from some potential candidates than others, possibly indicating how seriously they were being considered. The working shortlist is subject to change. The potential running mates differ on key policies, notably the Ukraine conflict; Burgum and Cotton both supported providing military aid to Ukraine, but Donalds, Rubio, and Vance opposed it. Despite criticizing President Joe Biden for putting Ukraine first, Carson supported arming Kyiv, the expansion of NATO and even the potential expulsion of Russia from the UN Security Council in 2015.
Some potential candidates such as Stefanik have gone from being hesitant to back Trump to being among his most loyal supporters. Commentators have also suggested South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard as potential running mates. Trump’s former primary rivals Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have publicly endorsed Trump since stepping down from the presidential race, have also been mentioned. Neither Republican has been officially named in the Trump campaign’s shortlist, however.
In May the Trump campaign stated that Trump’s moderate primary rival and former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley was not being considered as a potential vice president pick. Days later, having stated upon stepping down from the primary race that the former president would have to earn her vote, Haley declared that she would vote for Trump in November.
The Republican National Convention is in mid-July, which is traditionally when the presumptive presidential nominee’s running mate is formally announced. Potential candidates have also been asked about their financial background as part of the Trump campaign’s vetting process.
Copyright 2024, NewsWorthy.news
