Vance emerges as top VP choice for Trump — but Senate GOPer says he has one major 'drawback'

20 June 2024

Former President Donald Trump is expected to formally announce his 2024 running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a matter of weeks. But one leading contender — Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) — has set himself apart from the rest of the shortlist.

In a recent Bloomberg report by Mark Niquette and Steven T. Dennis, Vance is described as a "bearded senator, who often campaigns in jeans and a button-down" and who "rose from poverty to venture capitalist via Yale Law School and service with U.S. Marines in Iraq." And as a veteran of Silicon Valley, Vance has connections to deep-pocketed donors who can help the former president make inroads with a new network of California-based billionaires, like those who attended a fundraiser for the presumptive GOP nominee in San Francisco.

"There isn’t anyone out there who I think would be more loyal to my father and his agenda," Donald Trump Jr. told Bloomberg, adding that the Ohio Republican is "able to deliver an effective message on the campaign trail and in front of TV cameras."

Vance's loyalty is one of his biggest qualities. He not only traveled to Manhattan with other high-profile Republicans to defend Trump outside the courthouse, but he also did several TV interviews standing up for the ex-president even after he was convicted of 34 felonies by a New York jury. Vance even echoed some of Trump's arguments about Judge Juan Merchan — who oversaw his trial — and his daughter, who works as a political consultant for Democratic candidates.

"He is a younger and more articulate version of Trump," GOP pollster Frank Luntz said.

However, Vance's on-screen charisma could also be seen as a black mark against him. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who is not running for another six-year term this fall, candidly told Bloomberg that Vance's reputation as a rising star in the Republican Party could be what gives Trump pause in selecting his U.S. Senate colleague to be his running mate.

"His biggest drawback in President Trump’s mind would be the fear that he will outshine Donald Trump, because he’s smarter, he’s more articulate, he’s more solid on policy," said Romney, who was the GOP's 2012 presidential nominee. "Donald Trump would find that difficult — to have the spotlight on anyone other than himself."

In addition to Vance, others rumored to be on the former president's shortlist of vice presidential candidates are North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).

Trump may be hoping his VP announcement will overshadow his sentencing in the New York hush money cover-up trial, which will take place on July 11 — just four days before the convention. The 45th president of the United States could be sentenced to as many as 20 years behind bars, though Judge Merchan is unlikely to hand down such a strict sentence given that Trump is a 78-year-old first-time offender.

Click here to read Bloomberg's report in its entirety (subscription required).

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