With two Republicans already in the 2024 presidential race and possibly a half-dozen more in spring, some forward-thinking strategists are already looking to next year, when the eventual nominee will pick a running mate.
While there are a lot of choices, the early betting is on a Capitol Hill firebrand uniquely poised to bring in the libertarian wing of the GOP, which could provide a bump of 3% to 4% of the vote.
“There are only two realistic GOP nominees: Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis,” said an adviser to House Republicans who is also close to several past conservative presidential candidates.
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Since neither is likely to pick the other as a running mate, the adviser offered libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) as a good fit.
“Rand Paul as VP for either eliminates the need for a libertarian nominee or third-party candidate,” the adviser said. “And having that extra 3%-4% moving to the Republican ticket in 10-12 key states would be the margin of victory.”
