If voters had their say, Donald Trump would likely choose one of his former 2024 primary opponents as his running mate.
According to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina are the top choices among voters for Trump’s vice-presidential pick. DeSantis, who has already ruled out serving as Trump’s running mate, was favored by 12% of all voters surveyed and 23% of Republican voters.
Senator Tim Scott emerged as the second most popular choice, with 9% of all voters and 12% of Republicans supporting him. Following Scott were biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy (8% of all voters, 13% of Republicans) and former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard (5% of all voters, 8% of Republicans).
Other notable mentions in the poll included Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, and political commentator Tucker Carlson, each receiving support from 4% of voters. Carlson had a slight edge among Republicans, with 5% support compared to 4% for Noem and 3% for Rubio.
Additionally, nearly 40% of respondents expressed a preference for “someone else” (11%) or “none of the above” (28%) beyond the names listed in the poll. Other potential candidates like Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York each garnered minimal support.
Trump has hinted that he will announce his vice-presidential choice shortly before the Republican National Convention, which is set for July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
The poll indicated that Senator Scott could potentially attract more support for Trump from Democrats, Hispanics, and independent voters, while Ramaswamy might help solidify Trump’s backing among skeptical Republicans.
In terms of general election prospects, the poll showed Trump leading President Joe Biden by six percentage points, 49% to 43%. This margin remained consistent when respondents were asked to choose exclusively between the two candidates, with Trump at 53% and Biden at 47%.
In a hypothetical three-way race including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump led with 45%, Biden followed with 40%, and Kennedy garnered 14%.
The survey, conducted online from May 15 to 16, included 1,660 voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. The results were released shortly after Trump and Biden agreed to participate in two debates, scheduled for June 27 and September 10.
Almost 80% of voters expressed a desire for these debates to occur, with nearly two-thirds (63%) believing the debates would provide valuable information. However, a significant majority (73%) preferred that the debates be organized by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, despite it being excluded from the recent debate negotiations.