North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio are former President Donald Trump's top vice-presidential picks for the 2024 election, and Burgum and Vance are in the lead, reported NBC News.
Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, plans to announce his VP pick at the Republican National Convention in July. He has already requested personal information from Burgum, Rubio, and Vance.
Other politicians previously under consideration were Ben Carson, the former Trump cabinet secretary; Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York; and Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Tim Scott of South Carolina.
According to the NBC report, Burgum and Vance are Trump's top finalists.
Doubts about Rubio's enthusiasm for the job along with an issue concerning Trump and Rubio's residency in Florida have added a level of complexity to the process. The 12th Amendment maintains that presidential and vice-presidential candidates running on the same ticket "shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves."
But one Republican operative in Florida said, "Marco is 100% in the game."
"Right now, I would have to call JD Vance the favorite. But if the residency thing was not an issue, I'm fairly certain Marco would be the guy."
A source said Trump could also announce his pick ahead of his July 11 sentencing on 34 felony counts.
"As President Trump has said himself, the top criteria in selecting a vice president is a strong leader who will make a great president for eight years after his next four-year term concludes," senior Trump campaign adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement. "But anyone telling you they know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying unless that person is named Donald J. Trump."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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