Kari Lake among four women on Trump's VP shortlist: report

Former President Donald Trump wants a woman for his running mate in 2024 this time around — and one of his top shortlisters is failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, Axios reported on Tuesday.

"Lake, a former TV anchor who lost her race for Arizona governor in November, meets Trump's most important qualification for a No. 2: She has shown she's willing to defend him vociferously, no matter the issue or controversy," reported Mike Allen. "But Trump friends say Lake carries a big downside: He wants no risk that his running mate could outshine him. Lake would be assumed to be angling for president from the day she entered the White House. She made a political trip to Iowa last month."

Also under consideration for the VP role are former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, now the governor of Arkansas; South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who has unofficially been Trump's attack dog against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as he makes possible preparations for a presidential run himself; and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is currently running against Trump for the nomination herself.

According to the article, Trump's thinking is that he needs a woman to soften his image with suburban women voters. According to CNN exit polls, Lake just barely held an edge with suburban Arizona voters in 2022, but lost women by 9 points.

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Lake, who caused controversy for campaigning with Nazi sympathizers and QAnon activists, was a fervent election denier, even calling for former Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, her opponent and now the state's governor, to be arrested for the supposed fraud that denied Trump a win in Arizona.

She is one of the few major Republican candidates in 2022 to have refused to concede her race, filing a series of lawsuits to try to get the results thrown out. She is now under state investigation after she tweeted out what appeared to be images of voter signatures, which is against the law in Arizona.

Correction: Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota, not the governor of South Carolina, as originally reported.