Who do voters want as Trump’s vice president? Poll reveals some surprising choices

After nearly sweeping the board on Super Tuesday, former President Donald Trump is well on his way to winning the Republican nomination — meaning a decision about his running mate could come soon.

But who should he pick? Potential Trump voters favor a handful of familiar faces, as well as some dark horse options, according to a YouGov poll released on March 4.

In the poll, Republicans and right-leaning independents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of 15 individuals to be Trump’s running mate.

The poll sampled 1,000 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

A majority, totaling 62%, said they strongly or somewhat approved of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, making him the most supported option.

Following DeSantis were Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who received 58%, 57% and 52% approval, respectively.

Among the more unconventional choices were former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who came in seventh with 46% approval, followed by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who received 44% approval.

The least-favored options were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who only received 26% approval, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who earned 28% approval.

Notably, former Vice President Mike Pence received the highest disapproval rating of 54%. Nikki Haley, who recently dropped out of the race for the GOP nomination, garnered a 49% disapproval rating.

Asked who they would most prefer to be on Trump’s ticket, a plurality of Republicans and right-leaning independents, 13%, chose DeSantis. Twelve percent selected Ramaswamy, 11% chose Haley and 10% selected RFK Jr.

The other listed individuals all received single-digit support — with the exception of Greene, who garnered 0% support.

What Trump has said

The former president has mused openly about his vice presidential pick on multiple occasions, telling Fox News on Feb. 29 that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was “absolutely” on his short list.

During a Feb. 20 Fox News town hall, he told Laura Ingraham that Ramaswamy, DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott were all on his short list. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and former Hawaii Rep. and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard were also contenders, he confirmed.

Back in January, he told the outlet that he had someone in mind for the position, saying, “The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard.”

“I think people won’t be that surprised,” Trump added.

Historically, major party presidential candidates announce their running mate sometime around the party conventions, according to previous reporting from McClatchy News.

This year’s Republican convention will take place in Milwaukee from July 15-18.

“What is interesting is that Trump is so sure of his nomination at this point that he and we are talking about VP choices,” Margaret O’Mara, a historian at the University of Washington, told McClatchy News. “Usually that doesn’t happen until late spring or early summer, when a competitive primary season is done and the candidate knows they have the delegates to win.”

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