Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy tied for the top choice to be former President Donald Trump‘s running mate in a straw poll Saturday at a prominent gathering of conservative activists. The straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference was the first time in years that a question about whom Republicans should pick for vice president had overshadowed one about the presidential nominee in the survey of attendees.
That was partly because Trump won the presidential poll, as expected, in a landslide over Nikki Haley, beating her 94% to 5%. The straw poll was announced at the end of the four-day CPAC gathering outside Washington
Noem and Ramaswamy each got 15% of the vote in the straw poll. Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 but has since left the party to become an independent, was third with 9%, followed by Stefanik and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina with 8% each.
Behind the scenes, Trump has informally discussed potential running mates with advisers, and his team has weighed the risks and rewards of potential contenders. Publicly, he has offered conflicting thoughts on the role. He said last month that he knew whom he would pick as his running mate, but later said he had not decided. His campaign, meanwhile, has leaned into the anticipation.