South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tied at the top of former President Donald J. Trump's running mate in a straw poll held Saturday at a prominent gathering of conservative activists.
The straw voting at the Conservative Political Action Conference marked the first time in years that an attendee survey asked who Republicans should choose as vice president overshadowed a question about presidential candidates.
One reason for this was that presidential election polls showed Trump overwhelmingly defeated Nikki Haley by a margin of 94% to 5%. The last time Trump was not chosen as the top candidate for the White House among CPAC attendees was in 2016, when Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was the top candidate.
The straw poll, which is meant to be a measure of far-right enthusiasm, not a prediction, was released at the end of a four-day CPAC rally outside Washington. The attention to the vice president's question was notable as Trump continues to fend off a challenge from former South Carolina Gov. Haley for the Republican presidential nomination. She won her party's first few nomination contests and easily defeated Haley in her home state on Saturday.
Several Republicans considered to be Trump's running mate spoke at the event. Also included on Thursday was Rep. Byron Donald of Florida. On Friday, Noem, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Rep. Elyse Stefanik of New York. and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake on Saturday. Mr. Ramaswamy spoke on both Friday and Saturday.
In straw voting, Noem and Ramaswamy each received 15% of the vote. Former Hawaii congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 but later left the party and became an independent, was third with 9%, followed by South Carolina's Stefanik and Sen. Tim Scott. This was followed by 8% each.
Chosen by CPAC attendees as their favorite senator, Vance received 2% support on the vice presidential question, trailing former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson and Democratic political scion Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Ta. He is currently running for president as an independent.
Tom Fitton, chairman of the conservative group Judicial Watch, who spoke at the press conference, said, “I feel like I'm the only one not running for vice president.'' “However, who knows what will happen?”
Charles Romaine, 75, a retiree from Silver Springs, Maryland, arrived at his first CPAC this week to support Stefanik as Trump's No. 2, but after hearing Stefanik speak on Friday, He said he has changed his mind about Noem. .
He said Noem's speech was energetic and he liked her opposition to health restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic and support for sending the National Guard to the southwest border.
“She has real authority as governor and she has used it,” Romaine said. “That's important experience for becoming vice president and perhaps someday president.”
James Ong, 20, a college student in Washington, D.C., endorsed Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old businessman, as Trump's running mate because he appeals to younger voters supported by older presidential candidates from both parties. He said it was because he could. He may have a hard time winning.
“America First is about the future of America, not just President Trump, and Vivek can continue that tradition,” Ong said.
Trump's third presidential campaign will be the first without former Vice President Mike Pence on his ticket. The two men fell out politically after Pence refused to help Trump overturn the 2020 election.
Mr. Trump has been privately discussing running mate options with his advisers, and his team has been weighing the risks and benefits of each candidate.
Former presidents have publicly expressed conflicting views about the role. He said last month that he knew who he would choose as his running mate, but has since said he has not yet made a decision.
Meanwhile, his campaign is leaning toward that hope.
This month, his team emailed and texted supporters more than 20 fundraising requests disguised as surveys about who Trump should elect. The survey mainly asks about various characteristics of the vice presidential candidates, but does not specifically name them.
