A new report claims that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has emerged as a leading contender to be presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump’s running mate. Several sources close to the former President suggested that while his Vice Presidential shortlist remains long, Rubio is currently positioned as a top pick.
Thursday’s report by NBC News cited “six people familiar with the presumptive Republican nominee’s search for a running mate,” who attested to Rubio’s competitiveness on the shortlist. As many as fourteen other Republicans are being considered, with sources telling the publication that Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Sen. Time Scott (R-SC), and former Housing Secretary Ben Carson were also “among those in the mix.”
“The list is long, and it’s extremely early in any kind of process,” one Trump adviser said. “No one has been directly reached out to yet, and I do not expect that for some time.”
Another source, described as a “veteran Florida GOP operative,” told NBC that “It’s pretty clear from Trump’s orbit that Rubio is in play,” adding that “It makes sense because he checks almost every box if they can get past both being from Florida.”
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BREAKING – YOUR REACTION: NBC News claims Donald Trump is eyeing Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) for Vice President. Is that a good choice? pic.twitter.com/QZiNETwEpW
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) March 21, 2024
If chosen as Trump’s running mate, Rubio would face a Constitutional obstacle. The 12th Amendment specifies that electors cannot vote for a President and Vice President from the same state:
The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves;
In a January interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Rubio said as much. Shortly after endorsing Trump in the GOP primary, the Florida Senator was asked by Kilmeade whether he would consider joining the ticket.
“Well, we’re both from the same state, so that’s probably not going to work that way,” Rubio said. “But I believe he will be our next president. Four more years of Biden-Harris, that would damage our country beyond recognition.”
If Rubio were to join a Trump ticket, he would likely be expected to change his residency from Florida.
In his endorsement earlier this year, Rubio explained he would support Trump “because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created … It’s time to get on with the work of beating Biden & saving America!”
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— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 17, 2024
“We’re going to pick somebody that’s really good, really conservative; loves law and order, low taxes, low-interest rates, borders,” Trump told Newsmax earlier this month. “The press covers the people that are being thought about. It’s unusual that you pick somebody totally out of that, and there are 15 people they talk about, and that list grows every day.”
In an interview with host Greg Kelly, Trump suggested that he had already narrowed down his pick for a running mate but was waiting to make his choice public. “It’s the formal processes in my brain,” Trump said. “I look at the same people that everybody else is looking at. We’ve had some really great people.
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