When Pence took the job, it made sense at least in part because he was at risk of losing his bid to be reelected governor in red Indiana. Even more than in 2016, Trump's brand is divisive in a way that would surely give at least some Republicans pause. Ron DeSantis would seem to be the pragmatic pick if ever there was one, but he's making a huge play for the extreme, internet-troll, own-the-libs wing of the party.Īnother key question is who would take the job. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is very much in the ideological-ally camp, but she has at least tried to make nice with establishment leaders including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., which apparently has helped get her kicked out of the House Freedom Caucus. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., comes from an establishment background but has reinvented herself as a MAGA true believer. But increasingly in the Republican Party, the lines between those two have been substantially blurred. 2 pick even more important.īut who could be in the mix? And what might Trump even be looking for?Īt its core, the choice Trump faces would seem to be between an ideological ally and a more pragmatic pick like Pence. Trump's legal problems and the prospect of a criminal conviction (whenever these cases might be resolved) could make his No. Pence hasn't exactly parlayed his four years as Trump's VP into 2024 front-runner status, but there's no question that the 2024 slot would afford whoever gets it a shot to lead the party starting in 2028. And unlike 2016, when many of us (raising my hand here) thought Pence's selection wasn't even worth that "bucket of warm spit" - because Trump, of course, was going to lose - nobody is making such assumptions this time. It's all rather early and presumptuous, but it's real. Trump himself has repeatedly played up the idea that people are gunning for the job. Stories have been written for months about whether Trump might go for a woman this time, whether Tim Scott could parlay his presidential bid into the job and, most recently, about whether Kari Lake might be overplaying her hand. And while he has hardly yet secured the nomination - his criminal indictments will continue to loom over him - there's already early jockeying to replace the apostate Mike Pence as his would-be running mate. Trump has again come to dominate a Republican presidential primary. But for many in the party, that situation also has presented huge opportunities for advancement.Īnd perhaps no prize is as big as becoming Trump's running mate - a position for which, you might have heard, there is a vacancy. The present-day Republican Party can best be understood as the result of an arduous, years-long effort to deal with the situation Donald Trump has thrust upon it.
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