GOP senators in a bind as they root for their colleagues in contention as Trump’s running mate

With four Senate Republicans on the shortlist to become former President Donald Trump’s running mate, most of their colleagues are hesitant to declare a preferred vice presidential candidate.

Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming said Mr. Trump has a lot of good options to choose from, including Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and J.D. Vance of Ohio. 

“I know the four of them who have won that short list very well, and I think each and every one of them would be a terrific vice president,” Mr. Barrasso told The Washington Times. 

Only two of the 10 Senate Republicans with whom The Washington Times spoke for this story named a preference among Mr. Trump’s vice presidential contenders.

“Obviously I like Tim Scott, he’s from my home state,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told The Times. “But he’ll have a lot of good choices. I’ll leave it up to him.”

Sen. Mike Rounds, South Dakota Republican, also named Mr. Scott as his top recommendation, along with several others he would be happy to see picked. 

“I think Tim Scott would be excellent,” he said. “I think Marco Rubio would be very, very good. I think Tom Cotton would bring huge legitimacy to this in terms of his national defense policies and so forth. But any one of those three, I’d be very happy with.”

Asked about leaving his colleague Mr. Vance off that list, Mr. Rounds said he doesn’t know him that well. 

Mr. Rounds talked up Mr. Scott the most, saying he considers him a friend and “a good person,” and that the South Carolina Republican would bring “a new and a fresh perspective” to the ticket with “a unique personal story as well.”

“He comes from a life of poverty. And they fought their way through because his mom wanted him to do better and demanded it of him,” he said. “This is a really good personal story. And I think Tim tells it well. And it’s clearly reflected in his values.”

If Mr. Scott were picked and the GOP ticket won, Mr. Rounds would benefit from him leaving the Senate because he would likely replace Mr. Scott as top Republican on the Banking Committee.

Mr. Rounds also complimented Mr. Rubio, with whom he serves on the Intelligence Committee.

“He’s quick. He understands stuff. And he’s got a great sense of humor,” he said. “He lends credibility with regard to foreign policy. And on Intel, he sees the inside picture. That’s very, very important for a vice president as well to have that background.”

Several other GOP senators declined to weigh in with a preference but offered general thoughts about what Mr. Trump may want or need in a running mate. 

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said Mr. Trump’s VP shortlist is full of “great names,” all qualified for the position, so he should choose “whoever he likes and gets along with well.”

“He’s got to choose somebody who he can work with,” the Missouri Republican said. “I think that’s the main thing.”

Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, expects Mr. Trump will pick someone largely aligned with his views, despite previous presidential nominees picking someone to share the ticket with who can appeal to a different part of the electorate.

“I think he’s going to pick someone who is going to be a good first lieutenant and they’re on the same wavelength policywise and politically,” Mr. Braun said. “I don’t know that balancing the ticket out anymore is something that makes sense like it used to.”

Likewise, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas speculated, as he phrased it, that Mr. Trump’s standards for a running mate may be different than your typical presidential nominee. 

“Traditionally — and I realize there’s nothing traditional about where we are now — but traditionally the president would look at somebody who could broaden his appeal to other parts of the electorate,” Mr. Cornyn said. “My sense of President Trump is his relationship may be the most important thing with the individual.”

The idea of Mr. Trump picking a Republican senator for vice president appeals to Mr. Cornyn, who is running to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate GOP leader. 

“They would know how to work with us and get stuff done,” he said. 

Senators overall seemed to be rooting for their colleagues who are on the VP shortlist, but some questioned whether Mr. Trump’s choice would make a significant difference in his race against President Biden.

“I’m happy for all my colleagues who want to serve in that capacity, but I don’t think it matters a lot in the election who the vice presidential nominee is,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, Kansas Republican.

However, Mr. Moran added that people may be interested in the vice presidential selection because of the age of the presidential candidates. 

Mr. Trump, at 78, is only slightly younger than 81-year-old Mr. Biden, although more has been made of the Democrat’s age than the Republican’s. Vice President Kamala Harris is 59.

Most of the vice presidential contenders Mr. Trump is considering are at least a few decades younger than him. Mr. Vance is the youngest of the senators under consideration at 39, but he’ll turn 40 before the November election. Mr. Cotton is 47, Mr. Rubio is 53 and Mr. Scott is 58.

The main consensus among GOP senators is that it’s not worth trying to predict what Mr. Trump will do. 

“I wouldn’t sell my wedding ring and bet on anybody right now,” said Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican. “This is President Trump. And he is a marketer of great experience and talent. And I have no idea who he’s going to pick.”