Republican veepstakes: who will complete the Trump ticket?
It could be a loyal lieutenant, an ex-rival or perhaps a political newcomer, but one thing is certain: all eyes are on White House hopeful Donald Trump as he considers potential running mates.
A shrewd vice presidential pick could help the Republican tycoon broaden his support base, and Trump says he already knows who he wants at his side as he limbers for a second showdown with Joe Biden in November.
There were even US media reports — mocked by the Trump campaign but not explicitly denied — that the candidate might name his running mate within days, and perhaps before his first televised debate with Biden on Thursday.
Here are the most commonly cited runners and riders.
- Doug Burgum -
North Dakota's governor would be the first to admit that he is hardly a household name, but he remains a favorite for the job to deputize for Trump.
His obscurity, in fact, may be his main appeal, as Trump does not enjoy being overshadowed by lieutenants.
And, unlike many of his rivals, Burgum does not have an extensive record of criticism of Trump that he would need to explain away.
The 67-year-old made his fortune as the boss of a software company he sold to Microsoft for over $1 billion before running to lead one of the country's least populous states.
As governor, he enacted one of the strictest anti-abortion laws nationwide, a decision that could come back to bite him in a campaign with reproductive rights front and center.
- J.D. Vance -
Senator J.D. Vance hasn't always been a fan of Trump, something the former president enjoys bringing up from time to time.
But count the 39-year-old former military officer out at your peril.
Known for a best-selling memoir on the travails of poor, white America, Vance entered politics relatively recently.
The first-term senator from Ohio has already made plenty of allies in Republican circles, not least because of his ability to raise large sums of money for his party.
In a country where election victories can cost billions of dollars, big fundraisers are rarely short of friends.
- Marco Rubio -
Trump and Marco Rubio have history.
The Florida senator was pitted against the real estate tycoon in the 2016 Republican primary, during which Rubio openly mocked his more popular rival over his complexion and for having small hands.
But the former adversaries seem to have buried the hatchet.
Trump will weigh the potential for an electoral boost among Hispanic voters with the selection of the 53-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, who takes a keen interest in foreign policy.
A section of the hard right, however, has never forgiven Rubio for pushing immigration reforms more than 10 years ago that they saw as too liberal.
- Tim Scott -
It is no secret that Trump likes what Scott's profile says about the staunchly conservative, deeply religious African American US senator from South Carolina — and what it would say about his presidency.
The former president is constantly praising the loyalty of his 58-year-old one-time rival for the 2024 Republican nomination -- although he has slipped from pole position in recent weeks.
"You're a much better candidate for me than you were for yourself," Trump told Scott at a recent rally.
With Scott as his right-hand man, Trump would hope to make inroads with Black voters, who largely preferred Biden in 2020.
But detractors criticize the senator for lacking the presence required to assert himself, particularly during debates.
- The chasing pack -
New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik, 39, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to House Republican leadership and has embraced all of Trump's causes, winning his approval and appreciation in return.
A Trump campaign with Stefanik on the ticket could win back some of the women that have turned away from Trump since his 2016 victory.
Trump's one-time housing secretary Ben Carson and senators Rick Scott and Tom Cotton have also been mentioned as possibilities, although the latter two offer little contrast from Trump, as fellow wealthy, white men.
Vivek Ramaswamy — the upstart newcomer who shook up the first Republican primary debate — is also on the fringes of the conversation, alongside Congressman Byron Donalds, another Floridian, and firebrand former TV presenter Kari Lake.
Long regarded as a credible contender, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has seen her political stock plummet since she recounted having shot dead a pet dog she was unable to bring to heel.
AFP reached out to the Trump team for a hint on the kind of candidate that might turn the candidate's head. A campaign aide demurred.
"Anyone claiming to know who or when President Trump will choose his VP is lying, unless the person is named Donald J. Trump," he said.