(NewsNation) — Several contenders on former President Donald Trump’s short list of running mate considerations are gathering at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), slated to end Saturday with a vice presidential straw poll.
CPAC has already endorsed Trump in the race, and on Tuesday, the former president named some of the Republicans he may consider as a running mate.
The list includes three former GOP candidates: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). He also confirmed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who served in Congress as a Democrat but has since shifted to more conservative views, are in the running.
Other names have been floated as well, including New York Rep. Elise Stefanik and Arkansas Gov. Sara Huckabee Sanders.
Elise Stefanik
Republican New York Congresswoman Stefanik has criticized Trump in the past but now describes herself as “ultra-MAGA” and “proud of it.”
Chair of the House Republican Conference, Stefanik has opposed Trump’s comments about women and his decision to back out of the Paris Climate Accord. She also supported special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into potential Russian interference in the 2016 election.
In November 2019, however, Stefanik defended Trump during his first impeachment hearing while she served on the House Intelligence Committee.
She is among members of Congress who recently signed a letter demanding that President Joe Biden undergo cognitive testing and publicize the results.
Tim Scott
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott was running a presidential campaign of his own before he dropped out of the race in November.
He’s previously signaled that he may be open to taking on the role of Trump’s running mate and has been vocal about wanting to see the former president back in office.
“This nation hungers for some constant projection of a better future, and that trajectory happens with President Trump in office,” Scott told NewsNation in January.
Trump recently paid special attention to Scott during a town hall event in South Carolina. Following questions about a potential running mate, Trump gestured toward Scott and replied, “A lot of people are talking about that gentleman right over there.”
“I have to say, this is in a very positive way. Tim Scott, he has been much better for me than he was for himself,” Trump said. “I watched his campaign, and he doesn’t like talking about himself, but boy, does he talk about Trump.”
Kristi Noem
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed Trump at a party fundraiser last year, creating speculation that she may be positioning herself as the former president’s running mate.
Trump has lauded Noem as “one of the most successful governors in the entire nation” and said her endorsement “means a lot,” according to Associated Press reports at the time.
Noem sparked controversy earlier this month when an Oglala Sioux Tribe banned the governor from Pine Ridge Reservation for the second time.
Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out accused Noem of using immigration and border issues to help re-elect Trump and improve her chances of being picked as his running mate.
Noem had pinned homicides on the reservation to cartel and gang activity. Star Comes Out said he’d never heard of the “Ghost Dancers” gang that Noem specifically called out and had no knowledge of such a group being present on the reservation.
Doug Burgum
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum dropped out of the presidential race in December and began endorsing Trump just before the Iowa caucuses.
The former president later said Burgum might have an “important” role under a hypothetical second Trump administration.
In mid-January, however, Burgum clarified that Trump hadn’t made him any promises.
“There’s been no discussion about roles in the administration. There’s been no promises made,” Burgum said during an interview on “NewsNation Now.”
Burgum has since announced he will not seek a third term as governor.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former press secretary, has long endorsed the former president.
Trump likewise encouraged Sanders to run for governor when she left the White House in 2019 to return to Arkansas, according to Associated Press reports at the time.
Earlier this year, however, Sanders suggested she wasn’t interested in being Trump’s vice president and was satisfied in her current role.
“Look, I absolutely love the job I have,” Sanders told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in January. “I think it’s one of the best jobs I could ever ask for, and I am honored to serve as governor, and I hope I get to do it for the next seven years.”
Kari Lake
Former TV news anchor Kari Lake narrowly lost Arizona’s 2022 gubernatorial race to Democrat Katie Hobbs and now is running for Arizona Senate.
Trump has called Lake a “rising star,” and in November 2022, he told NewsNation he would be OK with her becoming the new face of MAGA, the acronym for Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
In the lead to the Arizona gubernatorial election, Lake campaigned on issues including border security, gun rights and opposition to COVID-19 mandates. She’s also publicly supported Trump’s false claims he won the 2020 presidential election.
On Monday, Lake told KTAR News 92.3 FM that she didn’t “know who exactly stole the election” but maintained her belief that the United States’ elections aren’t secure.
Mike Pompeo
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced last spring that he wouldn’t enter the 2024 GOP presidential race.
Pompeo, a staunch supporter of Israel who served under Trump, has called the former president “a great boss.”
In a statement posted to X, then known as Twitter, Pompeo said the timing wasn’t right for him and his family.
Pompeo has also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and then as director of the Central Intelligence Agency,
Vivek Ramaswamy
Trump suggested last summer that biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy would be a “very good” potential vice president, NewsNation partner The Hill reported.
Ramaswamy hoped to win the 2024 GOP nomination but dropped out of the presidential race in January and endorsed Trump soon after.
At 38 years old, Ramaswamy was the youngest candidate in the mix. He said while still campaigning that, if elected, he would consult Trump as an adviser, adding, “I think Trump was an excellent president.”
During his campaign, Ramaswamy pushed back against the idea of working under Trump during a potential second term, claiming he’s “not a Plan B person.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is a longstanding Trump supporter, calling his victory in New Hampshire a “true change for the Republican Party.”
“It says not only do we support President Trump, we support his policies, and any Republican that isn’t willing to adopt … these policies, we are completely eradicating from the party,” Greene told NBC News.
During ongoing conversations about replacing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Greene said she would only back Trump for the job.
“The only candidate for Speaker I am currently supporting is President Donald J. Trump,” Greene wrote on X. “He has a proven 4 year record as President of the United States of America.”
Ron DeSantis
Trump nicknamed Florida governor and former 2024 GOP candidate Ron DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” leading into the 2022 midterms. The former president “officially retired” the nickname in January after DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump instead.
“While I have had disagreements with Donald Trump such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear,” DeSantis said.
The governor added that he signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and would “honor that pledge.” The Trump campaign responded by saying it was “honored” by the endorsement.
Tulsi Gabbard
Former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard served in Congress and ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat.
Gabbard had served as Democrat in the House since 2013 but said in a video statement the party was “stoking anti-white racism” and is “hostile to people of faith and spirituality,” The Hill reported.
After announcing she would leave the party, Gabbard said she would instead support candidates in line with Trump.
Gabbard will be the keynote speaker at the 917 Society’s annual fundraising event taking place next month at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to an invitation shared exclusively with The Hill.
Byron Donalds
U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds is a Republican Florida representative.
He backed Trump’s campaign last spring instead of DeSantis, who also holds office in Flordia.
In November, Donald said he would accept a hypothetical chance as Trump’s running mate, adding that “it’s really up to the president.”
Donalds considers himself a “Trump supporting, libery loving, pro-life, pro-2nd Ammendment Black man,” according to his website.
He was among those whom Trump specifically named as a potential running mate earlier this week.
The Hill and NewsNation Senior Video Producer Aleks Bush contributed to this report.
