Why Governor Ron DeSantis Should be Trump’s Pick for Vice President

There are written and unwritten rules in almost everything in life, and politics is no different. The number one rule of a candidate when picking a Vice President is do no harm. The former President is the nominee of the Republican party now, and Trump is expected to pick a Vice Presidential candidate soon. While there have been many rumors about the former President’s possible pick, and Trump himself has stated the pick won’t likely be a surprise, it seems clear that he has not yet made this important decision.

The Republican party has a lot of impressive leaders at the state and national levels, President Trump will have a lot of strong choices for his running mate, but one candidate stands out above the others. Governor DeSantis is the only potential Vice Presidential candidate who checks all the boxes and fits what Trump needs at this time. Even though the former President has shown incredible physical stamina and mental acuity, he is still 77, and picking a younger running mate like DeSantis, who is only 45 years old, would help Trump in several ways. Trump would be signaling that DeSantis, who shares his core beliefs on policy, represents the future of the party, and a younger candidate would also likely ease concerns some independent voters might have with Trump’s age. Even though DeSantis’s Presidential campaign never got off the ground in a race where everyone knew Trump was likely going to be the nominee, the governor has won twice in Florida, a state that has not always been easy for Republicans and conservatives.

DeSantis has gotten a lot of national media attention even going back to the pandemic, and he has also both governed well and shown that he’s ready for primetime with his many tussles with the corrupt liberal media. DeSantis is also a candidate that both the Trump base and independent voters would support, and he should also be strong with both conservatives and moderates.

The Republican base is fired up, Trump needs a candidate that his core supporters like, but one that also builds bridges to key demographics the former President struggled with in 2020, such as independent women. DeSantis did a good job as governor of Florida, where he had very strong approval ratings of 59% in the state of Florida in early 2023, prior to announcing his intention of running for the presidency. The Governor has also consistently polled well with women, and his efforts to protect kids in schools in Florida on various social issues such as teaching sex education have been popular in the State with most Democrats and Republicans despite incorrect narratives pushed by the left.

There are other impressive candidates such as Kristi Noem and Tim Scott that would be fine candidates, but DeSantis has governed a large state well and he’s proven that he can hold up and debate even when confronted by the nasty liberal media. Noem’s resume is light since she is the governor of a small state in South Dakota, and Tim Scott has never served in an executive role in government. Scott and Noem have also not shown that they can handle the scrutiny that comes with being the nominee for Vice President, while DeSantis stood up very well to CNN and the national media during the Pandemic. DeSantis has also proven himself as a good debater as well, and the Vice Presidential debate is likely to have added importance this year with both of the candidates being older.

While some Republicans want President Trump to pick a less conservative candidate such as Nikki Haley, it is important that Trump’s pick for Vice President be aligned with him and his base on policy, and also be a candidate his base can get behind. Haley has several passionate policy positions on key issues such as the war between Russia and Ukraine that are at odds with the former President, and she has disrespected Trump and his voters repeteadly. She is disliked by many Trump supporters for good reason.

DeSantis is a candidate who has the same core policy beliefs and values as Trump, but he’s also a candidate who should have appeal to swing voters and key demographics such as Hispanics and independent women that the former President wants to broaden his appeal too. DeSantis is viewed as strongly favorable by an impressive 43% of Latinos in the state of Florida, and 9% of Hispanic voters in the state have a somewhat favorable view of the governor. Trump did well with Hispanic voters in 2020, and recent polls show that the former President’s support with these key voters is growing as well. President Trump’s support with Hispanic voters in 2020 was 8 points higher than in 2016. While DeSantis’s presidential campaign was flawed, the governor has run two successful gubernatorial campaigns in Florida, and he also proved himself as a strong leader during the pandemic. DeSantis has proven he’s ready for primetime, and he should have strong appeal to both the MAGA base as well as more moderate and independent voters.