There is, theoretically, a long way to go before the Republican nominee is cinched. But Donald Trump's formidable lead in the polls and his rout in Iowa already has stories in circulation about a potential running mate. At Politico, Jonathan Martin's focus is actually on who it might not be. He writes that a large faction within MAGA is adamant that Trump not pick Nikki Haley because she is seen as an establishment figure. One fear is Trump would be risking what Martin describes as an "intra-party coup"—meaning Republican senators "would use any legal or political pretext to remove him from office and elevate the more old guard-aligned Haley."
A quote from GOP Rep. Matt Goetz illustrates the mood: "Nikki Haley as VP would be an establishment neocon fantasy and a MAGA nightmare," he tells Martin. "On Day One she would convert the Naval Observatory into an anti-Trump, resistance headquarters, undermining him at every step." So if not Haley, then who? The potential list is long, but two notable names also are in the news:
- Stefanik: NBC News reports that GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik is very much on Trump's radar, especially after her grilling of Ivy League leaders. "She's a killer," the outlet quotes Trump telling allies at a dinner. Steve Bannon also says she's "at the top" of the current list.
- Tucker? Donald Trump Jr. (who is quoted by Martin as being very much in the anti-Haley camp) tells Newsmax that former Fox host Tucker Carlson is a possibility, reports Mediaite. "That clearly would be on the table, right?" Trump Jr. said when asked about the rumors. "I mean they're very friendly, I think they agree on virtually all of these things. ... That would certainly be a contender."
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