Trump’s next VP candidate: What to know

Former President Donald Trump has clinched the Republican nomination for the White House and is expected to announce his running mate for the 2024 election soon, but who will he select?

There is considerable speculation regarding the potential candidates to fill the seat, with a shortlist that includes at least twelve individuals.

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Here are a few of the VP contenders:

• Greg Abbott: Trump has regularly named the Texas governor as one of his potential picks, particularly as immigration at the US-Mexico border continues to be a prominent campaign issue. However, the odds of Abbott ascending to VP seem slim; he has repeatedly stated he does not want the job.
• Ron DeSantis: Initially Trump’s rival for the Republican nomination, the Florida governor was not initially on the list of potential running mates. However, a recent private meeting between Trump and DeSantis has reignited intrigue about his candidacy.
• Kristi Noem: The two-term South Dakota governor has emerged as a prominent conservative female voice, earning praise from Trump for her support. However, her recent account of shooting a hunting dog named Cricket who was deemed “untrainable,” has drawn widespread condemnation on both sides of the political aisle.
• Sarah Huckabee Sanders: The current Arkansas governor already has firsthand experience working with Trump, having served as the White House press secretary from 2017 to 2019. She officially endorsed him at a rally in 2023, calling him “my former boss, my friend, and everybody’s favorite president. ”
• Sen. Tim Scott: A US senator from South Carolina, Scott has been an outspoken supporter of Trump, offering him an endorsement over fellow South Carolinian presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
• Elise Stefanik: The US representative based in upstate New York has become a staunch ally of Trump, particularly during his New Hampshire primary campaign. At rallies in Concord, she fielded numerous questions about a potential bid for vice president and said she would be “honored” to serve in the Trump administration “in any capacity.”
• JD Vance: Author of the bestselling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” the US Senator from Ohio has transformed from a Trump critic to an outspoken convert. “Take it from someone who was anti-Trump early on and then saw the belly of the beast: the Republican Party without Donald Trump is a disaster, morally and politically,” he https://twitter.com/jdvance1/status/1750182458568347740?s=43&t=t5RXy-yvqYB9JjzLLLsbxA on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

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Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on Georgia politics. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @MayaHoman.