Ted Cruz's campaign is starting a quiet search for a suitable running mate to be in place should he pull out the GOP presidential nomination, but with the race still remaining unsettled, it's not easy for him and rivals Donald Trump and John Kasich to plan too far ahead.
"It's one of the complicating factors of having a protracted nomination," Jason Johnson, Cruz's chief strategist, told
The Dallas Morning News in a Wednesday article. "We quickly approach the point where if we're not thinking about those things, we're neglecting our obligation to be prepared to be the nominee and beat Hillary [Clinton]."
Trump, the only candidate close enough to securing the nomination, has thrown out some names, including former challengers Marco Rubio and Scott Walker and current contender Kasich as possible choices. But
Walker laughed off the name drop, while Kasich continued to insist that he does not want to be anyone's vice-president, as he expects to be the eventual nominee.
Johnson said that Cruz is not "negligent" by not yet naming any running mate choices, but "ultimately the goal is to beat Hillary, and in order to beat Hillary you have to have a running mate. Those things are being considered."
Since the current race is so unsettled, it is not easy to get the cooperation needed to vet potential running mates. Further, Trump and Cruz have created many enemies along the way, which could make the process even more difficult.
"Cruz has rubbed some people the wrong way in Washington but Trump is viewed as a toxic disaster who could be a career killer for any politician who wants to hitch their wagon to his clown show," said GOP strategist Ryan Williams, who was a Romney campaign aide. "That is a dark blemish on your resume that you cannot wash off."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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