The list for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's vice presidential picks is not getting shorter, but the talk is getting hotter in a week Trump suggested his GOP unity conferencing in Congress might have included his ultimate running mate.
One rising name on the list is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who reportedly is "well-liked" by Trump but also admits has a "residency problem."
"I happen to think that he's the candidate the Biden campaign probably fears the most," Florida-based Republican strategist Justin Sayfie told The Hill in a pair of in-depth features Sunday. "Of all the people that President Trump can pick to be his running mate, I think that the Biden campaign probably would not like to see Marco Rubio on the ticket."
"He has a classic American story of being the child of immigrants and rising into one of the most powerful positions in our government," he added.
"He's going to have an appeal to constituencies in some of these swing states that will decide the presidency."
The Republican National Committee Convention is now less than one month away, so the speculation is nearing a crescendo as Trump says he has his pick in mind, but is not going to scoop his nominating bonanza in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump told Newsmax's Mike Carter backstage at the Black church roundtable Saturday in Detroit, Michigan.
While multiple media outlets have suggested Rubio would be a ideal pick, there remains the 12th Amendment of the Constitution that the president and his vice president "shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves."
"It wasn't too long ago that [Rubio] was somebody in the conversation to be the future of the Republican Party," Florida-based GOP strategist Ford O'Connell told The Hill. "He adds a lot of pluses to the ticket.
"The minus here is the 12th Amendment."
But there can be workarounds. Trump could return his residency to Trump Tower in Manhattan, something he might have to be forced to do, amid the pending sentencing at the hand Democrat-donor Judge Juan Merchan, but would likely loathe doing so having left the state in a bitter break amid the pending lawsuits that ramped up years ago.
"I don't necessarily think Donald Trump is going to want to take that chance with the way he's been treated in blue-state courts thus far," O'Connell told The Hill.
Rubio reportedly has crafted a legal memo outlining the workarounds for the 12th Amendment clause, but insiders have said Trump remains skeptical potentially adding more legal hurdles to his already complicated campaign amid multiple indictments.
"If they can find a workaround that is plausible for both, he is certainly in the conversation," O'Connell told The Hill, noting Trump is facing an election of "inches" and needs to whittle down the challenges instead of add to them.
If Rubio was announced as vice president and Trump was elected Nov. 5, the mid-December deadline for electors could strip Trump of the 15 Florida state delegates needed to get to 270. That's is 11% of the total.
Presidential strategist Dick Morris, who advises Trump, told Newsmax that residency means you can "cross" Rubio off "the list," although he noted Rubio would be a great choice otherwise.
"It wasn't too long ago that Marco Rubio was considered the future of the Republican Party, and as such, he has access to a robust fundraising network," O’Connell told The Hill.
Rubio, after a contentious 2016 presidential primary campaign against Trump down to the end, has long come around and remained close for this potential eventuality.
"People used to joke during the Trump administration that Marco's side-gig was being the State Department's coordinator for the Western hemisphere," an aide told The Wall Street Journal. "He's a very talented communicator, does a great job carrying the message and is well-liked by Trump.
"Obviously, I think it could be hugely helpful to the Hispanic vote, which could be decisive.
"I think anybody who would be offered that should be honored."
Even the never-Trump faction of the GOP would support Rubio's ascension to the 2028 next-in-line reality of being on the Trump ticket.
"He is somebody who the never-Trumpers trust," a GOP aide told The Hill. "Those Haley folks, they would trust Marco Rubio."
Like the coming around by the likes of Rubio, fellow candidate Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, one-time Rubio critic and former Trump White House figure head Stephen Miller admits Rubio is "one of the most deep, insightful, and gifted thinkers on our political issues."