Former President Donald Trump has ruled out Nikki Haley and Mike Pence as possible running mates should he, as expected, win the Republican presidential nomination for November's election.
But Trump wants supporters to have a voice and encouraged them through a campaign email to let him know who they want for his running mate, the Independent reported Monday.
"I'm humbly asking for your response before the day ends," the email stated. "I don't want to make my pick without reading your thoughts first!"
The email has a spot for supporters to type in the person they would like to see "as the next VP." Names of prospective vice presidential candidates bandied about include South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott; Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; multimillionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, who was a press secretary in the Trump administration.
"Before I select the next Vice President, I need YOUR ADVICE!" the email states. "I want to hear from YOU."
Trump didn't reveal Pence as his running mate until July 2016, shortly before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. It is typical for nonincumbents to wait until just before the national party convention before revealing their running mate. This email appears to be part of the extensive vetting process used by campaigns before a running mate is selected.
The email also included a survey with the following: "What are the top issues my VP should focus on?" including securing the border, ending election interference, defending gun rights, saving the economy, and protecting the unborn.
"Should my VP be a government official or political outsider?"; Should my VP be a person of faith?"; "Should my VP be a military veteran?"; and "If you had 5 minutes with me, tell me why that person is your next VP."
The email showed 101,533 donors had responded as of Monday afternoon, with 200,000 being a goal. It showed that securing the border was the top issue for the VP candidate to focus on at 14%, followed by ending election interference and eliminating the deep state at 12% each. Results from the other questions were not included.