Four potential Republican vice presidential candidates.

Four Republicans Competing for the No. 2 Spot in the Country

While Republican voters have their eyes riveted on the contest for who will be the GOP’s next presidential candidate, four Republicans are fighting to stay in contention for the No. 2 slot in the country.

Although none of the women have outright admitted interest in the second spot on the conservative ticket, they are considered early front-runners.

1. Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD)

Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD) has amped up her advertising recently, with two ads expected to run during the summer, and announced travel plans that include a stop in the early primary state of Iowa, which is a focus of all Republican presidential contenders.

The South Dakota Republican was reportedly eyeing an entrance into the crowded primary, but a recent local interview teased that could no longer be the case, after claiming she does not believe a different candidate could beat former President Donald Trump. “I don’t see a path to victory for anybody else with him in the race and the situation as it sits today,” Noem told Watertown Radio.

Sources close to Noem tout her strategy of releasing the ads, and her travel outside of the state as smart ways to keep her name in the head of the Republican nominee, so when the time comes, her name is at the top of the list, according to ABC News.

“She’s definitely had a national profile and worked to maintain that. And that’s had some benefits to South Dakota, but it’s also meant that she has horizons beyond just being governor of South Dakota,” a South Dakota GOP official said. “I think there’s a broad assumption that that’s something she’d be interested in.”

Noem also offers experience and connections on Capitol Hill, a strong fundraising base, and potential diversity to the Republican ticket. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is the only woman vying for the party’s nomination so far.

2. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA)

Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA) has made appearances with many of the party’s contenders at events within the state. But she most recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, introducing a possible international diplomacy angle to her chances.

The Iowa governor also touts an effective Republican record as the state’s leader, including on key issues such as race and sexuality in public schools, which are important topics to GOP voters. The governor has not endorsed a particular candidate for the party’s nomination.

“I think she does her job so well that it would compel someone to consider [her]. She’s been an incredibly effective governor. She’s passing her agenda, which is popular in the state of Iowa,” David Kochel, a GOP strategist who worked on both of Reynolds’ gubernatorial campaigns, said. “If I were the Republican nominee, it’d be a pretty short list of people I would look at, and she is right at the top of it.”

3. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was considered a top vice presidential pick for Trump in 2016, but ultimately lost to former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for president this election.

Although she has been silent on her ambitions to become vice president this year, Blackburn visited New Hampshire and Iowa last winter and has visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate multiple times. She also publicly endorsed Trump in April.

A source for the senator claimed she is seeking reelection in the Senate in 2024.

4. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR)

Gov. Sarah Sanders (R-AR), daughter of former Republican presidential hopeful and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), is considered a rising star in the GOP. Although sources claim that the young governor expects to remain Arkansas’s leader for two full terms, she is aware her name has been floated as a possibility for vice president.

Sanders, who served as the White House press secretary for two years in the Trump administration, was given the high honor of rebutting President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address this year. Her response was met with praise from the Republican Party.

Other candidates that have been floated as possible vice presidential picks include Republican presidential candidates Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) though campaigns for both have denied that they are actually seeking the vice president instead of president.

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