Unexpected Strong Contender for Trump VP Emerges - Report
Earlier this month, a poll queried Republican and Republican-leaning voters about their preference for former President Donald Trump's running mate if he secures the party’s nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this July.
The Issues & Insights and TIPP poll included a wide range of candidates, from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin.
However, a New York Times report on Friday revealed that one individual on Trump's current shortlist of five contenders did not appear in the poll results.
That individual is Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton. His inclusion on Trump’s shortlist suggests “the former president is heavily weighing experience and the ability to run a disciplined campaign over other factors,” according to The Times.
The Times cited three unnamed sources with “direct knowledge of Mr. Trump’s thinking” who were not authorized to speak publicly.
These sources indicated the current shortlist comprises Cotton, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
All five are also considered for roles in a potential second Trump administration, should he win the general election in November.
The sources emphasized that Trump’s decisions could change before the convention, a notion familiar to those who follow the former president.
“Mr. Trump can be unpredictable,” The Times remarked.
Cotton’s name was notably absent from the I&I/TIPP poll, even among lower-ranking names like New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Zeldin, who both received mentions but failed to secure 1 percent of the total.
Due to the poll's relatively small sample size and an unusually high margin of error of 4.3 percent, no clear frontrunner emerged. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis led with 15 percent, but former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (8 percent), Abbott, and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (7 percent each) were all close behind.
Former Housing Secretary Ben Carson and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard each garnered 5 percent, Sen. Tim Scott had 4 percent, and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, misidentified as the "former" governor, along with political commentator Tucker Carlson, both received 3 percent.
At 2 percent were Rubio, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former anchorwoman Kari Lake, who is currently running for the Senate in Arizona.
Burgum and Vance, also on Trump’s shortlist, each received 1 percent, along with former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Trump has indicated he would likely announce his choice in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention in July.
A spokeswoman for Cotton declined to comment on the Times story. Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes told the outlet, “Only President Trump will rule a contender for Vice President in or out, and anyone claiming to know who he will choose is lying.”
In a Fox News interview cited by The Times, Cotton seemed to downplay his consideration for any role in a potential Trump administration.
“I suspect only Donald Trump knows who is really on his short list,” he stated on Fox News. “When we do talk, we talk about what it’s going to take to win this election in November — to elect President Trump to another term in the White House and elect a Republican Congress, so we can begin to repair the damage that Joe Biden’s presidency has inflicted on this country.”