Trump Could Choose Veep This Week
WASHINGTON – Florida Gov. Rick Scott no longer seems to be on the short list for Republican presumptive nominee Donald Trump. Scott will still play a role in his battle in Florida but it seems that Trump has set his sights on a couple of the GOP rising stars as his possible running mate.
An announcement could be made within a week to ten days. The goal is get a choice in place before the GOP Convention starts in two weeks.
Moving up the list is Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst is among the candidates being considered to become Trump’s running mate. She is a strong conservative, darling of the Tea Party and as a woman she could help the nominee with his problem with female voters.
This past weekend Trump played golf at his New York links with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence another strong contender for the vice president role. He like Ohio Gov. John Kasich, is a former Congressman, who returned back to his home state and won the governorship.
He ticks all of the boxes as someone who knows Washington, is a conservative and is a stable force that Trump is said to be looking for in a running-mate. Pence, problem is that if he takes the role of running mate then he can’t run for re-election in Indiana.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich remain the two names most analysts have at the top of their lists. The two men—different in style, but each brash, outspoken, and far more experienced in traditional politics than the presumptive nominee—have thus long been seen as strong contenders to become his running mate. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported that Gingrich was the leading contender, trailed closely by Christie.
Trump has said he wants to choose a more traditional politician than himself, someone who has some experience navigating Washington—and, the implication goes, someone who might smooth Trump’s troubled relations with many fellow Republicans. Would either Gingrich or Christie do that? Gingrich has been around the GOP long enough to alienate quite a few members. Christie, meanwhile, has annoyed his fellow Republicans in several ways: First by embracing Barack Obama on the eve of the 2012 election, then by demolishing Marco Rubio in a February debate, and finally by becoming a staunch Trump backer.
The Post also mentions several other names that have been in the mix, including Senators Jeff Sessions and Tennessee Congressman Bob Corker, though Corker has been critical of Trump recently.