(The Center Square) – Republican voters have suggestions for former President Donald Trump when he considers his running mate for vice president.
The Center Square Voter’s Voice poll released this week asked voters this question: “Who should Donald Trump choose as his vice presidential candidate?”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis narrowly edged out the other potential candidates. DeSantis was once seen as a serious threat to Trump for the presidential nomination, but after Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate was raided by the FBI, Trump’s poll numbers soared. DeSantis was left behind in the polling and never recovered.
Now, according to the survey, 18% of Republicans want DeSantis to be Trump’s vice presidential running mate.
In a close second place is former Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who received 17% support from Republicans as Trump’s vice president.
Haley was the last Republican contender to drop out of the primary. She was able to win nearly 100 delegates, and put up a fight in states like Vermont and South Carolina. But, ultimately, she dropped out after Trump roundly defeated her on Super Tuesday.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Gov. Tim Scott are tied for third place with 15% support among Republicans.
Notably, Democratic former Congressman Tulsi Gabbard received 7% support, the only Democrat to get that kind of backing from Republicans.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem received 6% support among Republicans to be Trump’s running mate. Many analysts have said Trump should pick a female vice president to persuade Haley supporters and suburban women to support the ticket.
Trump has not said who he is leaning toward most for his vice president, however the New York Post recently reported that Trump has ruled out Ramaswamy, but that Ramaswamy would be considered for a cabinet position.
Trump is not expected to pick former Vice President Mike Pence since their relationship has soured in recent years.
Pence told Martha MacCallum on Fox News last week that he would not endorse Trump for president.
Pence, who was unable to pick up steam in his own presidential primary bid, said there are “profound differences between me and President Trump on a range of issues.”
There is little indication that President Joe Biden will drop Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate.
The vice presidential pick for Trump in particular could be key to shifting what is a close race.
The Center Square poll shows Trump beating Biden 46%-45% with likely voters in a head-to-head faceoff. With such a close margin, Trump’s pick for VP could make or break the race.
Notably, if third-party independent candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein stay in the race, Trump’s lead grows to 3 points.
The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll was conducted in conjunction with Noble Predictive Insights in March, querying 2,510 respondents roughly split between both parties along with 340 true independents. The margin of error for likely voters is +/- 2.1%.
