In the tradition of the best reality TV shows, we won’t actually know who Donald Trump will choose for vice president until the Republican National Convention in July.

Of course, that doesn’t stop pundits and bloggers from endlessly speculating on who this potential VP pick will be – including us here at Victory Girls. But now that the list seems to be narrowing, and the convention is drawing ever nearer (we are already more than halfway through June!), let us review the current short list again – and the potential problems with each one, especially keeping in mind that any vice presidential candidate automatically becomes a 2028 presidential contender.

Now, let’s be honest – any vice presidential candidate that the Republicans come up with is going to be a million times better than Kamala Harris.

It’s a point that needs to be hammered home repeatedly – Kamala Harris is deeply unpopular and the media have not been able to make “fetch” happen for almost four years, so it’s not happening now. And apparently the Harris circle thinks one candidate would be very hard for Kamala to deal with in a debate.

Kamala Harris’s former Comms director, Ashley Etienne, says she thinks JD Vance “would pose the greatest threat” to Harris in a VP debate

Comes as Trump and his team are considering how each prospective running mate would fare on a debate stage with the VP pic.twitter.com/pSxJEFOHAw

— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) June 17, 2024

So, let’s start there.

Senator J.D. Vance (OH)
Now, there is no doubt that Vance is a skilled debater, quick on his feet, and very loyal to Donald Trump. But he was just elected to the Senate in 2022, so picking a first-term Senator is always a risky bet – especially considering that the current Ohio Senate race between incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown and Republican businessman Bernie Moreno is already very tight, with Brown currently leading Moreno in the polls. Does Ohio really want to run yet another Senate election if Vance is tapped for vice president? Given the contentious nature of Ohio Senate races lately, that answer might be no.

Senator Marco Rubio (FL)
Rubio seems to have gotten more attention lately, but there is one massive speed bump to Rubio being named the vice presidential nominee, and it isn’t the 2016 primary battle between him and Trump. This speed bump is a Constitutional one.

The 12th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution says that, when the Electoral College meets to determine the president, “the electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”

According to PolitiFact, experts have interpreted this to mean that if the two people on the presidential ticket come from the same state, electors from that state can’t vote for both. Trump established his Florida residency at Mar-a-Lago in 2019 and Rubio is on his third term representing the state.

That means the 30 Florida electoral voters can vote for either Trump or Rubio, but not both. Since they’re more likely to vote for Trump, that could potentially leave the country without an elected vice-president.

This problem affects not just Rubio, but another name on the list, as well – Representative Byron Donalds (FL). I am certain that Trump’s team is aware of the Constitutional issues, and not being able to count on 30 electoral votes for a vice president would be problematic. This issue would certainly end up in front of the courts, and is that really what the American public wants? MORE time in courtrooms?

Governor Doug Burgum (ND)
With Kristi Noem very much out of the running for VP, the governor from the other Dakota keeps popping up on this list. Doug Burgum decided to run for president solely to raise his national profile, barely made the debates, got off a few one-liners, and dropped out. But now he has endorsed Trump, and Trump has spoken warmly enough about him that his name keeps coming up. Burgum is something of a blank slate, even after his presidential run. He’s not well-known, which makes him both an attractive candidate as vice president, and a liability. Unknowns are always a risk, and a vice presidential candidate must be a help, not a hinderance, to a ticket. Is anyone going to be excited about Burgum? No. Would he be a perfectly adequate vice president and not upstage Trump? Yes.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (AR)
Sanders is a known quantity, a Trump loyalist, and has now won her own election for governor of Arkansas. But she just won that election in 2022, so it is a bit too early to yank her out of the office. But Arkansas is also a solidly red state, so there would be little risk in naming Sanders to the ticket. Would everyone enjoy seeing a Sarah Huckabee Sanders v. Kamala Harris debate? Absolutely. Sanders might not be the best choice for vice president, but she would be a safe one.

Representative Elise Stefanik (NY)
Stefanik has made a name for herself lately, and has been part of the Republican House leadership for a while. She has been on many people’s radar as a potential VP pick. Does she have a high enough profile to make an impact as vice president? She has certainly been working on that. Will it be enough to beat out other potential candidates? I don’t know. Stefanik feels like a backup plan, not a first choice.

Senator Tim Scott (SC)
Out of all the candidates, Tim Scott may have the best shot at becoming vice president, and certainly would be the safest pick. Scott reminds me very strongly of the first vice president that Trump chose, Mike Pence. He would not overshadow Trump, he would be a calming influence on the ticket, and his Republican credentials are good. And just for good measure, Scott is getting married this August and becoming a stepfather all at once. Convenient? Sure. Helpful? Yes. Will it make him an even more appealing VP choice? Who knows.

Senator Tom Cotton (AR)
Out of all the listed potential vice presidential candidates, Tom Cotton is the one I can easily see becoming president in the future. He has a good working relationship with Trump and a national profile. He and J.D. Vance are the only two on this list to have served in the military (Vance served in the Marines, Cotton served in the Army). Cotton might not be a flashy, attention-getting choice, but he would be a strong pick. But, as Cotton himself acknowledges, that choice is totally up to Donald Trump.

“I think if the President asked you to serve in any capacity in our great nation, you’d have to consider it,” Cotton said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when asked whether he wants to be vice president.

“But I also know that there’s probably only one person who knows who’s on his short list,” Cotton continued, “and I suspect the president will make a decision about his vice president when he’s ready, and it’ll be a good decision for him and the ticket but more importantly, a good decision for the country.”

Tapper asked Cotton directly whether he would say yes to joining the ticket if Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, asked him to.

“If the President asked me to serve in any capacity, I would, of course entertain it,” Cotton said. “But right now, I’m very happy being a senator representing the people of Arkansas and working to elect President Trump and a majority in the Congress so we can begin to repair some of the damage that Joe Biden and the Democrats inflicted over these last four years.”

Potential Trump VP pick @SenTomCotton tells @jaketapper, “If the president asked me to serve in any capacity, I would, of course, entertain it.” pic.twitter.com/MFV5XTKOvk

— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) June 16, 2024

Ultimately, this choice does belong to Donald Trump, and being a showman, he knows how to draw out the suspense to gain the most attention when he does make an announcement. Any one of these candidates is more than a match for Kamala Harris – some more than others. Does any of them stand out to YOU, readers? Who would YOU tell Donald Trump to pick?

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click