Nikki Haley and Mike Pence have been ruled out by former president Donald Trump as potential running mates, should he—as is predicted—win the Republican presidential nomination in November.
However, Trump wants his followers to be heard, so he sent out a campaign email encouraging them to let him know who they would like to see as his running mate, as the Independent revealed on Monday.
The email said, “I’m humbly asking for your response before the day ends.” “I don’t want to make my pick without reading your thoughts first!”
There is a space in the email for supporters to fill in who they want “as the next VP.” Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina; Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference; Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota; multimillionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; and Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders of Arkansas, who served as press secretary for President Trump, are among the names being floated as potential vice presidential candidates.
“I need YOUR ADVICE before I choose the next Vice President,” the email declares. “I want to hear from YOU.”
It was not until July 2016, just before the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, that Trump announced Pence as his running mate. It is customary for challengers to hold off on naming their running mate until right before the national party convention. This email seems to be a part of the lengthy screening that campaigns go through before choosing a running partner.
A survey asking “What are the top issues my VP should focus on?” was also attached to the email. included safeguarding the border, preventing meddling in elections, upholding gun rights, preserving the economy, and shielding future generations.
“If you had five minutes with me, tell me why that person is your next vice president.” “Should my VP be a government official or political outsider?” “Should my VP be a person of faith?” “Should my VP be a military veteran?” and so on.
As of Monday afternoon, the email indicated that 101,533 contributors had replied, with 200,000 being the target. It revealed that, at 14%, protecting the border was the vice presidential candidate’s top priority, followed by getting rid of the deep state and stopping election meddling, at 12% apiece. The answers obtained from the remaining queries were excluded.