Former President Donald Trump is reportedly hoping to make up for his disadvantage among suburban women voters by choosing a woman as running mate. Trump is unlikely to ask former Vice President Mike Pence to run with him again after the two had a falling out over Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
One candidate who has emerged as a possible pick is Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, a source who has talked to Trump on the subject told Axios.
Lake, a former Fox 10 Phoenix news anchor, lost the race for Arizona governor in November, but she is contesting that outcome. She was endorsed by Trump and cast doubt on the state elections as well as the 2020 elections, as the Deseret News reported.
But, as Axios reports, Trump fears Lake has the ability to outshine him. Her loss in the gubernatorial race is a negative, too.
Meanwhile, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told the outlet that assumptions about the former president’s pick for a running mate are “seriously misinformed” and are an effort to “curry favor with ‘potential’ V.P candidates.”
“President Trump will choose his running mate on his own time, and those who are playing the media game are doing so at their own peril,” he added.
As for Lake, she says she has her eyes set on claiming the governorship, even though she won the CPAC straw poll for vice president.
“We’re flattered, but unfortunately our legal team says the Constitution won’t allow for her to serve as Governor and VP at the same time,” her official campaign Twitter account, Kari Lake War Room, said.
Other possible options reported by Axios were former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, who has already announced her bid for the presidency in 2024.
There’s also Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary. The New York Times reported that Trump had asked her for an endorsement, to which she responded with a “not yet.”
Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota, is another potential running mate pick, Axios reported.