Vetting materials have been sent to several candidates under consideration to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate, according to a person familiar with the process, as the quest to round out the 2024 Republican ticket heats up ahead of next month’s national party convention.
It is unclear which potential candidates have received the vetting materials, and people familiar with the process caution that the search for Trump’s running mate is in flux.
Multiple sources familiar with internal conversations have indicated that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Ohio Sen. JD Vance are all top contenders. Others under consideration include South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik.
NBC News was first to report that the vetting materials had been sent out.
Trump has floated a lengthy list of names in recent months and routinely asks allies, donors and members of his Mar-a-Lago resort for their opinion. He routinely praises many of these contenders publicly at his campaign rallies and in interviews.
Many of the potential picks have spent recent weeks publicly demonstrating their loyalty to Trump, including appearing with him at court for his New York criminal hush money trial and defending him on television. Trump was ultimately found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
In an interview with Newsmax on Tuesday, Trump mentioned Scott, Burgum, Rubio, Vance and Ben Carson, his former Housing and Urban Development secretary, when asked about his search for a potential running mate.
“We have some unbelievable people,” the former president said as he rattled off the names. “But I think I’m going to hold it.”
Trump said in an interview with TMJ4 News last month there was a “pretty good chance” he would announce his running mate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, which is slated to take place from July 15 to 18.
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