Trump is expected to announce his VP pick as RNC begins
Former President has narrowed choice to three finalists
The Republican National Convention kicks off this week, with delegates and officials descending on Wisconsin amid the tumult that follows a Saturday assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump as he prepares to become the GOP’s official nominee.
The quadrennial event takes place not only as Trump leads a party in lockstep behind him, but also as Democrats roil over President Joe Biden’s viability and if they should replace him as their nominee.
Donald Trump is said to have narrowed his list of potential running mates to three top candidates: Ohio Sen. JD Vance, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
All come with different benefits and vulnerabilities. Vance is perhaps most ideologically aligned with the former president and would energize his base. At 39, he would add a millennial contrast to the older men at the top of their parties’ tickets. But he’s served in the Senate for less than two years.
Burgum would bring business acumen and a steady hand, though Trump has noted his signing of a highly restrictive abortion law could be a drawback.
Rubio is seen in the party as a respected voice on policy and his background — as the son of Cuban immigrants and a Spanish speaker — could help Trump appeal to Latino voters.
He could also help draw more moderate and establishment-minded voters and donors turned off by Trump’s coarse rhetoric. But Rubio’s candidacy is complicated by the fact that he lives in Florida, like Trump.