Who could become Donald Trump’s new vice president?

As the Republican National Convention approaches, speculation is mounting over who will become former President Donald Trump’s running mate in his race to return to the White House.

Trump, who will be confirmed as the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in the National Convention next weekhas not given any clear clues as to who he will choose as number two in his planned rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

The announcement is expected to take place at the start of the party meeting, from July 15 to 19 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is the most eagerly awaited news of a massive event that will see Trump become the undisputed leader of the party.

Although the former president has not publicly opted for any of his allies, analysts and voters already have their favorites, based on interactions, appearances at Trump’s campaign events and their positions toward the controversial tycoon, who could still surprise with an unexpected decision.

These candidates would bring different experiences and strengths to Trump’s Republican presidential ticket. They include veteran lawmakers, charismatic emerging figures and successful businessmen, members of minorities and experts on the ins and outs of Washington.

Several of them had been harsh critics of Trump and even competed against him for the partisan presidential nomination, but aligned themselves with him after the Republican base supported the former president.

Who is at the top of the list?

Marco Rubio, an experienced senator of Hispanic origin

Veteran Cuban-born politician Marco Rubio is the best known of the three candidates at the top of the list. Despite being 53 years old, he has more than 25 years of experience in government positions, the last decade as a member of the Senate for the state of Florida.

He is currently serving his third term in the upper house of the US Congress and is vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Rubio was born in Miami to Cuban parents who emigrated to the U.S. before Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. He is a lawyer by profession and is married with four children. He speaks Spanish and is popular among the Cuban-American community, so he could serve as a bridge to Hispanic voters.

In 2016, he ran for the Republican presidential primaries against Donald Trump, whom he harshly criticized and called a “swindler.” Since then, he has changed his position toward the former president, whom he advises on Latin American policy issues and of whom he is a staunch supporter in Congress.

Doug Burgum, successful entrepreneur and stable option

Wealthy businessman Doug Burgum has been elected governor of North Dakota twice. Among the favorites to become vice president, he stands out for offering stability and confidence. With his image as an old-fashioned politician and experience as a businessman, he positions himself as a number two with whom Trump feels comfortable and who would not steal the spotlight from the former president.

Burgum, 67, has been married twice and has three children from his first marriage. He faced Trump in the brief 2024 Republican primaries, where he was mildly critical of him. After his campaign was suspended, he became one of his closest allies, serving as a surrogate for the press and a regular at political rallies.

The governor was among the former Republican candidates who attended Trump’s trial in New York to support him and then rejected the guilty verdict against the former president.

JD Vance, charismatic emerging figure

Freshman Ohio Sen. JD Vance is the least experienced of the front-runners to become Trump’s vice president, but arguably the most charismatic.

Author of the bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy: Memoirs of a Family and a Culture in Crisis”went from being a fierce “Never Trump” Republican to being one of his most vocal allies. According to analysts, the strength that Vance would bring to the former president would be his role as an effective messenger of his platform.

A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Vance is 39 years old, married and has three children. Before running for the Senate in 2022, he worked as a venture capitalist. A law graduate, the young politician has been in the Senate for just over a year. Before that, he had not held public office of any kind.

With fewer chances, but still in the race

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik are seen as other, though less likely, possibilities in the mix.

Like Burgum, Scott ran as a rival to Trump in the primaries, then became a loyal ally and campaign messenger for the former president. The African-American politician could attract black voters, a group that has historically distanced itself from the former president.

The 58-year-old legislator began his career as a public servant in 1995. He was elected as a representative in the Lower House of Congress before becoming a senator, a position he has held since 2013.

Elise Stefanik has served in the House of Representatives since 2015 and is currently the chair of the House Republican Conference. She has repeatedly highlighted her meteoric rise in the party, in which she went from being underestimated to securing herself the third position in the Republican leadership of Congress.

As a woman, Stefanik could appeal to the female vote, with which Trump has struggled.

Initially, there was talk of the advantages that the former US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, could bring to the ticket, although those possibilities seem to have vanished in the face of the cold relationship between the former governor of South Carolina and her former boss. Haley was the Greater competition for the former president during the primary period.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, once considered the Republican Party’s brightest prospect and most viable alternative to Trump, is not even considered a contender for his former mentor’s vice presidential nomination.

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