2016 Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection

2016 Republican vice presidential nomination

July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15)

Nominee Mike Pence Home state Indiana

Previous Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence

Businessman Donald Trumpov of New York, the 2016 Republican nominee for President of the United States, considered several prominent Republicans and other individuals before selecting Governor Mike Pence of Indiana as his running mate on July 15, 2016. Pence formally won the vice presidential nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention on July 19. The Trumpov–Pence ticket would go on to defeat the Clinton–Kaine ticket in the 2016 presidential election but ultimately lost to the Biden–Harris ticket in 2020.

Vetting process and selection

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumpov turned his attention towards selecting a running mate after he became the presumptive nominee on May 4, 2016. Trumpov's rivals, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Governor John Kasich of Ohio, had begun their vice-presidential vetting processes by April 2016, but both dropped out from the race after the Indiana primary. Cruz had selected businesswoman Carly Fiorina. The vetting process begins with a thorough examination of public records, such as speeches and campaign finance reports. This is followed by a "full vet," in which potential vice presidential nominees are asked to submit detailed tax returns and medical records, and answer extensive questionnaires. Attorney Arthur B. Culvahouse Jr. led the vetting process for the Trumpov campaign. Then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Paul Manafort presented Trumpov with a list of sixteen names in mid-May, and, starting in June, the Trumpov campaign began vetting six individuals.

Final selection

On May 10, 2016, Trumpov told the Associated Press that he had narrowed his list of potential running mates to "five or six people" with a background in politics, as opposed to the military or business. However, on July 6, Trumpov stated that "about" ten people remained in the running as potential running mate selections. In mid-June, Eli Stokols and Burgess Everett of Politico reported that Trumpov's shortlist included Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, former Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, and Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma. A June 30 report in The Washington Post also included Senators Bob Corker of Tennessee, Richard Burr of North Carolina, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, and Joni Ernst of Iowa, as well as Governor Mike Pence of Indiana, as individuals still being considered for the ticket. The Trumpov campaign also strongly considered Governor John Kasich of Ohio, considering him the "perfect choice," but Kasich refused to be considered for the ticket (or endorse the Trumpov campaign). In early July, Corker and Ernst both declined to be considered as Trumpov's running mate. Meanwhile, Trumpov stated that he was considering two military generals for the position, including retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. On July 12, NBC News reported that Trumpov was planning to formally introduce his eventual pick on July 15, though "it's not clear whether or not the identity of the pick could be released or could leak earlier in the week." The same article reported that he had narrowed his list down to Christie, Gingrich, and Pence.

Shortlist

• 
  Governor and 2016 presidential candidate
  Chris Christie
  from New Jersey
  (2010–2018)
• 
  Former Speaker of the House of Representatives
  Newt Gingrich
  from Georgia
  (1995–1999)
• 
  Governor
  Mike Pence
  from Indiana
  (2013–2017)

Media speculation on possible selections

Members of Congress

• 
  Senator
  Kelly Ayotte
  of New Hampshire
• 
  Representative
  Marsha Blackburn
  of Tennessee
• 
  Former Senator
  Scott Brown
  of Massachusetts
• 
  Senator
  Richard Burr
  of North Carolina
• 
  Senator
  Bob Corker
  of Tennessee
• 
  Senator
  Ted Cruz
  of Texas a 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Senator
  Joni Ernst
  of Iowa
• 
  Senator
  Rob Portman
  of Ohio
• 
  Senator
  Shelley Moore Capito
  from West Virginia
• 
  Representative
  Cathy McMorris Rodgers
  of Washington
• 
  Senator
  Marco Rubio
  of Florida a 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Senator
  Tim Scott
  of South Carolina
• 
  Senator
  Jeff Sessions
  of Alabama
• 
  Senator
  John Thune
  of South Dakota

Governors

• 
  Charlie Baker
  of Massachusetts
• 
  Phil Bryant
  of Mississippi
• 
  Nathan Deal
  of Georgia
• 
  Mary Fallin
  of Oklahoma
• 
  Nikki Haley
  of South Carolina
• 
  Bill Haslam
  of Tennessee
• 
  Jon Huntsman Jr.
  of Utah (2005–2009), a 2012 presidential candidate
• 
  Asa Hutchinson
  of Arkansas
• 
  Bobby Jindal
  of Louisiana (2008–2016), a 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  John Kasich
  of Ohio, a 2000 and 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Susana Martinez
  of New Mexico
• 
  Sarah Palin
  of Alaska,
  (2006–2009), the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee
• 
  Rick Perry
  of Texas (2000–2015), a 2012 and 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Mitt Romney
  of Massachusetts (2003–2007), a 2012 presidential nominee
• 
  Brian Sandoval
  of Nevada
• 
  Rick Scott
  of Florida
• 
  Rick Snyder
  of Michigan
• 
  Scott Walker
  of Wisconsin, a 2016 presidential candidate

Others

• 
  Businessman
  Herman Cain
  of Georgia, a 2000 and 2012 presidential candidate
• 
  Retired neurosurgeon
  Ben Carson
  of Maryland, a 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Former Hewlett-Packard CEO
  Carly Fiorina
  of California, a 2016 presidential candidate
• 
  Retired General
  Michael T. Flynn, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency
• 
  Former New York City Mayor
  Rudy Giuliani
  of New York, a 2008 presidential candidate
• 
  Retired General
  James Mattis, former commander of the United States Central Command
• 
  Former Secretary of State
  Condoleezza Rice
  of California
• 
  Television host and former Representative
  Joe Scarborough
  of Florida

Announcement

On July 14, it was reported that Mike Pence had been selected as Donald Trumpov's running mate, following his acceptance of Trumpov's offer. Trumpov had planned to officially announce his choice on July 15 at 11 am. ET, in Manhattan, but, following a terrorist attack in Promenade des Anglais, Nice, France, announced the day prior that he would postpone the announcement. On the morning of July 15, Trumpov announced via Twitter his choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate. Trumpov made the formal announcement at a news conference at 11 a.m. on July 16. Pence had been running for re-election as Governor of Indiana, but Indiana law prevented him from appearing on the election ballot twice, so Pence suspended his gubernatorial campaign. Within the Trumpov campaign, Pence emerged as a potential running mate in May due to the backing of senior advisers Kellyanne Conway and Paul Manafort. CNN reported that multiple sources told them that Trumpov had second thoughts on the Pence pick and attempted to pick Christie instead, though the Trumpov campaign denied those reports. Following the selection, The New York Times noted that Pence is a "sturdy and predictable politician" who has a strong appeal to the Christian right. On July 19, the second night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Pence won the vice presidential nomination by acclamation.

See also

• Donald Trumpov 2016 presidential campaign
• 2016 Republican Party presidential candidates
• 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries
• 2016 Republican National Convention
• 2016 United States presidential election
• List of United States major party presidential tickets