(OurNationNews.com) – Former president Donald Trump is whittling away at what is reportedly a long and fluid list of possible candidates to become his vice presidential in this year’s elections, with him and his team asking a number of possible candidates to submit vetting documents.
The contenders encompass a wide scope within the Republican party, and include personalities who are in and outside of government. Among their number are Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former HUD secretary Ben Carson, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, New York Representative Elise Stefanik, and Florida Representative Byron Donalds. All of them received document requests, but the number and nature of the requests vary, and insiders from the Trump campaign say that the number of vetting documents a candidate receives is not an indication of how favorable they are in Trump’s eyes.
There are also rumors that Republican Tennessee state Senator Bill Hagerty and former TV news anchor and former Arizona gubernatorial contender Kari Lake are being considered by the Trump campaign. Some have also floated the possibility that former presidential primary rival Nikki Haley could be considered, but Trump has quickly shut down the rumor, saying that Haley – whom he referred to as “Birdbrain” during the primary campaign – will not be his VP.
On the other hand, some more supposedly prominent candidates have been taken out of consideration, such as South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem. The South Dakota chief executive was recently embroiled in controversy over a number of supposedly questionable entries in her recent memoir, particularly a disputed claim that she met North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
The intense secrecy surrounding who Trump will tap as his running mate is not new, however. In 2016, Trump only announced Mike Pence as his then-vice president just days before the Republican National Convention. In the same vein, the former chief executive has hinted that he will likely do the same thing this time around. The Republican National Convention will be held in mid-July, in Milwaukee.
Competition is also fierce among those vying for the Trump’s VP spot in what will be a closely-covered election. Many made appearances at the former president’s “hush money” trial in Manhattan, while others have been holding fundraising events in his honor.
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