CLEVELAND – Two from the former president donald trumpin possible running mates would come with politically charged complications: Republican governors who would choose their successors.
If Trump goes with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, governor Ron DeSantis would be in line to select his replacement — perhaps immediately if Rubio were to resign and move to avoid the constitutional problem of having both candidates on the ticket residing in the same state. If Senator JD Vance of Ohio becomes vice president, governor. Mike DeWine would choose a new senator.
Both governors recent, turbulent stories with Trump, raising questions about whether the people they nominate would meet the often rigid right-wing standards of his MAGA movement. And while the succession dynamic won’t necessarily lower Rubio or Vance’s chances of being selected, it is the subject of speculative conversations in both states.
DeSantis and Trump are emerging from a heated battle for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination. While there are signs of détente, enough trust issues remain that the idea of handing DeSantis the power of a Senate nomination is something Trump’s world is approaching cautiously.
“Trump doesn’t want to give DeSantis this nomination,” a Trump confidant told NBC News. “It is something that is being considered.”
In Ohio, Trump campaigned vigorously against DeWine’s endorsed candidate, State Sen. Matt Dolan, in a recent Republican Senate primary, branding DeWine as a cantankerous avatar of the establishment and RINO, or Republican in Name Only. Many believe Dolan, who lost the primary to Trump-backed Bernie Moreno, would be on DeWine’s list to succeed Vance.
“I don’t think Governor DeWine is really concerned about what President Trump’s thoughts are or what he thinks,” said former Rep. Jim Renacci, who lost the 2022 primary to DeWine and now chairs the county Republican Party. of Medina. “He is in his last term. He doesn’t need the former president’s blessing.”
In either case, the nomination of DeSantis or DeWine would be interim, until the next state election is held.
But there may be a way to limit DeSantis’ influence on the choice. Trump’s confidant described a scenario in Florida, first reported by The Bulwark, in which Rubio would resign from the Senate immediately after being chosen by Trump. Resignation would be early enough to trigger a special election for the seat. Most likely, DeSantis would nominate someone until the special election is held, but it would be for a limited time.
A Trump ally who discussed vice presidential options directly with Trump said Rubio “has the biggest upside but is the biggest gambler,” meaning he checks many of the boxes that Trump wants to check but that the potential pick would bring scratchs.
“Marco speaks MAGA very well in Spanish,” the person said.
Trump and DeSantis were seen as close after Trump supported DeSantis’ bid for governor in 2018. But their relationship exploded publicly after DeSantis decided to run against Trump for the 2024 presidential nomination. When DeSantis left the race in January, they attacked him. be openly regularly. And while DeSantis readily supported Trump, he also raised concerns that Trump would prioritize “identity politics” in his search for a running mate.
The two recently I had breakfast at a South Florida golf club to offer public perception that the hatchet has been buried, but Trump allies say there would still be enormous skepticism about the idea of giving DeSantis a Senate nomination.
A Senate seat could be a significant public gift for DeSantis. Among those he might consider for nomination are his wife, Casey; his chief of staff, James Uthmeier; or former state House Speaker Jose Oliva, a longtime ally, according to three longtime Florida Republicans asked about a possible shortlist. DeSantis could also choose to nominate himself for the position, these sources said.
In Ohio, Vance may have solidified himself as a leading candidate for vice president after he led Trump’s endorsement of Moreno – a decision that delivered a big victory for Trump in a competitive race. Moreno will face former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown this fall.
A Trump campaign insider said the growing consensus among GOP operatives is that Vance is “a lock,” although this person left the door open for Trump to pick Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., or someone who attract less attention.
Trump’s selection process was well keptwith prospects yet to receive detailed vetting questionnaires and Trump saying he doesn’t expect to make a choice until closer to the Republican National Convention in July.
Selecting Scott would also put the decision about his successor in the hands of a Republican governor, but in this case, someone who is an unquestioning ally of Trump: Henry McMaster of South Carolina. DeWine, himself a former senator, had much more friction with Trump and his base.
DeWine’s lockdown and mask orders during the early days of the Covid pandemic infuriated right-wing voters and led to primary challenges from Renacci and others. And in the final days of this year’s Senate primaries, DeWine issued a surprising endorsement of Dolan, whose comparatively moderate politics angered Trump.
David Helmick, a Republican leader in Mahoning County, said he would prefer Vance to remain in the Senate because his positions on U.S. trade policy are closely aligned with those of working-class voters in the Youngstown area.
“If Bernie Moreno somehow ends up losing in November, I would like DeWine to nominate him in Vance’s place,” Helmick said. “But DeWine will probably end up nominating Matt Dolan, since he supported him in the primary.”
Others aren’t so sure.
Ryan Stubenrauch, an adviser and spokesman for DeWine’s previous campaigns, said he believes DeWine would seek a consensus candidate palatable to both old-guard Republicans and MAGA voters. While Dolan may have been DeWine’s preference among the options available in the primary, he would have a larger universe to choose from if a vice president Vance created a vacancy.
“I would say there is less than a 50% chance he would pick Dolan,” Stubenrauch said. “If this happened to him, he’s not an idiot. He’s been in politics for a long time and so he understands the electorate, he understands the people who don’t like him these days.”
Another Ohio Republican Party strategist, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, agreed.
DeWine “would like his pick to be re-elected, and there is no way the Trump wing of the party will accept” Dolan, the strategist said. “There are a lot of people both sides can agree on. It would be the stupidest thing to do. And Mike DeWine is not stupid.”
Other potential nominees mentioned by Ohio Republican members include Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who finished third behind Moreno and Dolan in the March Senate primary; former state Republican Party chairwoman Jane Timken; and former state Supreme Court Justice Judi French. DeWine could also choose to narrow what is expected to be a crowded GOP primary field for governor in 2026 by selecting Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost or Treasurer Robert Sprague, two GOP sources said.
Less likely is the possibility that DeWine, 77, calls himself an “interim” senator who agrees not to run for a full term while giving Husted a chance to run for governor as an incumbent.
“A thousand percent no,” Stubenrauch said when asked about the likelihood of that scenario. “One hundred thousand percent no.”
Henry J. Gomez reported from Cleveland and Matt Dixon from Tallahassee, Florida.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
