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Former President Donald Trump, the heavy favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, is looking for a running mate in his quest for the White House.
His supporters have eagerly joined the debate over the No. 2 spot on the theoretical Republican Party ticket.
Mr. Trump, 77, has unequivocally rejected another run with Mike Pence, who, as vice president, parted ways with him over the divisive events of Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Trump’s loyal followers want Mr. Trump to select a candidate who will meet MAGA standards.
Some of the top names mentioned are women who have either worked in Mr. Trump’s administration or have shown dedication and loyalty to his political movement.
SEE ALSO: Republican women take to campaign trail to audition for vice presidency
Kari Lake
The former Phoenix news anchor won over Mr. Trump and his followers during her unsuccessful campaign for Arizona governor.
She rejected moderate Republican policies and, taking a cue from Mr. Trump, regularly tore into left-wing media.
Ms. Lake’s final campaign ad showed her smashing televisions with a sledgehammer.
She is now running for a U.S. Senate seat from Arizona and serves as an unofficial surrogate for Mr. Trump and his Make America Great Again agenda.
Ms. Lake, 54, checks off a crucial box for Mr. Trump as a supporter of his claim that the 2020 election was rigged in favor of Democrat Joseph R. Biden. She is a top vice presidential choice among Mr. Trump’s supporters.
Kristi Noem
Now serving her second term as South Dakota governor, Ms. Noem, 52, is unapologetically MAGA and has long predicted that Mr. Trump, now the dominant front-runner, would win the Republican Party nomination.
Mr. Trump’s followers identify Ms. Noem as one of their top preferences for the No. 2 spot on the ticket. She rallied for Mr. Trump in Sioux City, Iowa, on Wednesday and has appeared on Fox News to tout his candidacy.
“We need to get @realdonaldtrump back in the White House. I will do whatever I can to make that happen,” she posted on social media.
Marjorie Taylor Greene
The House Republican firebrand is one of Mr. Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress and has his number on her cellphone’s speed dial. Ms. Greene has been campaigning for Mr. Trump in Iowa and, some say, for her chance to become his vice presidential running mate.
The Georgia conservative, 49, is leading the effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the massive influx of illegal immigrants pouring across the southern border.
She told news outlets last year that she believes the former president is considering her for his running mate.
Ms. Greene recently became the victim of “swatting” at her home and the homes of her daughters. She also has said she received death threats over her political views on transgender issues and advocacy of conservative policies.
Nikki Haley
Mr. Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations has ignited a battle within the Trump base.
Ms. Haley, 51, has publicly criticized her former boss on the campaign trail for running up the deficit during his four years in office and has courted moderate Republicans with her less conservative stance on abortion. Still, she is a possible contender for vice president. Trump advisers pushing for her on the ticket include former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The former South Carolina governor is no favorite of MAGA loyalists. Former Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon predicted “a big fight” if Mr. Trump’s advisers try to persuade the former president to choose Ms. Haley as his running mate.
On Jack Posobiec’s “Human Events Daily” podcast, Mr. Bannon called Ms. Haley a “viper” who would run the office “just like Dick Cheney” and push the U.S. into foreign wars.
Ms. Noem also criticized Ms. Haley as a vice presidential choice. She told NewsMax, “She’s a different person depending on whatever works for her political agenda.”
Still, Ms. Haley can’t be ignored. She has surged in popularity among Republican primary voters who are considering an alternative to Mr. Trump or who oppose all-out bans on abortion that other conservative candidates endorse. Her name on the ticket could help Republicans win critical female voters who might otherwise stay home because they don’t like Mr. Trump or oppose the party’s stance on abortion.
Byron Donalds
The Republican congressman from Florida and Fox News regular endorsed Mr. Trump over Ron DeSantis, his state’s governor and one of Mr. Trump’s top primary rivals.
Mr. Donalds, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, has been an outspoken critic of the Biden administration and a wholehearted advocate of the MAGA agenda. He said he would accept Mr. Trump’s invitation to join the ticket. “I mean, who wouldn’t?” he told SiriusXM’s “The Julie Mason Show.”
Vivek Ramaswamy
The biotechnology tycoon has been running for president while serving as an unofficial Trump surrogate. The only factor that separates the two is age.
Mr. Ramaswamy, 38, said he represents all of what Mr. Trump embodies but is a younger version who can more ably advance the agenda than the septuagenarian former president.
Mr. Ramaswamy has dodged criticism of Mr. Trump, including his claim that the 2020 election was stolen. He has challenged all other Republican candidates for president to withdraw from primaries in states that successfully ban Mr. Trump from the ballot over claims he is an insurrectionist.
Mr. Trump hasn’t ruled out a ticket with Mr. Ramaswamy. “I think he’d be very good” as vice president, he told conservative political commentator Glenn Beck last year.
As a presidential candidate, Mr. Ramaswamy hasn’t been able to boost his low poll numbers and recently pulled television advertising in Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation nominating contest will be held on Jan. 15 and where he is polling under 6% with voters.
Mr. Trump said he expects Mr. Ramaswamy to endorse him and called him “a good man” who “is not done yet.”
WILD CARD: Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor was once considered Mr. Trump’s protege, but the former president turned on him when Mr. DeSantis announced a run for the Republican presidential nomination after winning a second term as governor in a landslide.
Mr. DeSantis, 45, initially soared in the presidential primary polls, eliciting a barrage of criticism and bashing from a nervous Mr. Trump and his campaign team.
Mr. DeSantis has since sunk to a distant second place but still commands double-digit support in many polls. He has largely pulled his punches against Mr. Trump.
Although Mr. DeSantis has repeatedly shot down the idea of serving in the vice presidential slot, many of the former president’s supporters identify Trump-DeSantis as their dream Republican presidential ticket. Mr. DeSantis could bring along the sizable chunk of Republican voters who are seeking an alternative to Mr. Trump and who could sink his chances for another White House term if they stay away from the polls in November.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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