The forthcoming elections of the oldest Democracy in the world i.e USA are set to be held in November. USA having a bi-party system, the Republicans and Democrats again go head on head during the Presidential elections. The Presidential face of Republicans is former President Donald Trump. The question is about who would be the Vice-Presidential candidate as the competition is heating up.
Trump has released a lengthy list of candidates in the public domain. According to American tradition the running mate’s name is generally revealed around the respective party’s national convention. The Republican National Convention will be held in mid-week of July.
According to CBS News, Several possible vice-presidential candidates have been sent screening paperwork, which include questions regarding their financial history. This article will further look into the rumored names to be in the mix
Candidature for Vice-President
Tim Scott
Tim Scott is a member of the American Senate. He is one of the most eminent Black Republicans in the USA. He was the one whom Trump vanquished in the party’s primary contest. In the earliest voting states Scott tried to pitch himself as an optimistic conservative. In order to influence the scriptural Christian vote, but did not prove to be very successful.
At a Trump campaign in the New Hampshire’s primary, Scott made stirring remarks. This incident elevated him to be in the competition for the next Vice- President candidate. “We need Donald Trump,” he declared prior to taking the stage for his fellow Republican’s triumphal address.
He said to Trump, “I just love you.” Then the previous president smiled and said, “That’s why you’re a great politician. “Mr. Scott is “much better [at advocating] for me than he was for himself,” Trump has frequently said since then. As per the CBS investigation, Mr. Scott is among the individuals who allegedly obtained screening papers from the Trump campaign.
Doug Burgum
He is one of Trump’s other fallen primary opponents. Dough Burgum is the governor of North Dakota, and currently is in his second term. Mr.Burgman has not made any significant impact being the Presidential candidate. But he has certainly made a comeback to the campaign by supporting Trump. He is known as a fiscal hawk and a social conservative who earlier stated about never conducting business with Trump. Before coming into politics Burgum had his own software startup which was taken over by Microsoft which earned him billions of fortune. His political acumen and low-key manner are said to have impressed Trump, which is why former vice president Mike Pence was chosen in 2016.
Elise Stefanik
Elise is a member of the American Congress, and is the highest ranked Republican woman in the US House of Representatives. SHe was earlier considered to be a moderate Trump-hesitant representative. Although recently she has been widely considered to be Trump’s most loyal defender at the U.S Capitol Hill. In 2020, she had also joined the defense of the impeachment trial for Trump. Recently she has gained moderate popularity in the media due to her viral take down of two-Ivy league college presidents. She has also raised the issue of antisemitism in the US colleges. She also mentioned that she would be honored in serving the Trump administration in any capacity.
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio and Donald Trump did not get along during the 2016 Presidential elections. Trump then referred to him as ‘Little Rubio’ referring to his stature. On the other hand Rubio commented on Trump’s small hands. Marco Rubio is currently a Member of Florida’s Senate. He has recently started working closely with Trump by supporting him in his primary season. Mr.Marco is a telegenic and young son of Cuban immigrants who was also a potential running mate in 2012 elections. He can certainly help Trump get the support and votes of the Latin community.
JD Vance
He is a junior senator of Ohio who has endorsed Trump on many occasions in the last few months. The former venture entrepreneur, who attended Yale, penned the best-selling memoir Hillbilly Elegy, which traced his “rust-belt” Midwest blue-collar origins. Earlier he was considered to be a “never-Trumper”, but he realigned himself during the 2022 senate elections by supporting Trump. While in government, he has supported numerous causes that excite Trump’s supporters. Although Mr. Vance has not ruled out running for vice president, he feels that the Senate would be a better place for him to serve in a future Trump administration.
Kristi Noem
Kristi has once topped the poll of being Trump’s die-harder. She is also the governor of South Dakota. She became well-known across the country after making appearances on Fox News, particularly for violating mask laws and other prohibitions during the pandemic.
Byron Donalds
Byron Donalds is a prominent Black conservative in American politics. Before entering municipal politics in Florida in 2012, Mr. Donalds, who was born in New York to a single mother, worked in banking, insurance, and finance.
He represented the conservative wing of his party in Washington after serving four years in the Florida House of Representatives. He has been a member of the US House since 2020. During an interview in November, he was asked about his interest in being the Vice-presidential candidate. He replied by saying “I mean, who wouldn’t?”
Tulsi Gabbard
Tulsi Gabbard became the first Hindu member of the US Congress when she was part of the Democratic Party. This made her the biggest dark-horse in Trump’s Vice-presidential list. Ten years ago, the Iraq War veteran and US Army reservist held the position of vice-chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She resigned from the position in order to support Bernie Sanders’s candidacy for president in 2016.
Her tenure in Congress, which lasted from 2013 to 2021, was characterized by her repeated accusations of US military interventionism and the Obama administration.
She ran in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, with her most notable moment being a fierce critique of Kamala Harris – now the vice-president – over her past as a prosecutor in California.Ms Gabbard, 42, then beefed up her contributions to Fox News and announced in 2022 that she was leaving the Democratic Party. The Washington Post reported in February that Trump has spoken with Ms Gabbard – an outspoken critic of Ukraine aid – about foreign policy and managing the Pentagon.
Vice-Presidential Contenders : A Diverse Mix
Ben Carson, Tom Cotton, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Katie Britt, Kari Lake, Sarah Huckabee Sanders are also some names considered. It would be interesting to see who is chosen as Trump’s running mate for American Democracy. As this is a diverse mix of individuals, with a common history of not going along well with Donald Trump.
