MILWAUKEE (Reuters) -U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum have both been told they will not be Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s running mate, sources told Reuters on Monday.
The decision leaves Ohio U.S. Senator J.D. Vance as the leading contender for the job.
Advisers to Trump, whose party is expected to formally announce his vice presidential pick later in the day, had viewed Rubio’s residency in Florida as a drawback. The U.S. Constitution bans the electors who formally select the president and vice president from voting for both from their home state – and both Trump and Rubio call Florida home.
While Rubio could likely have overcome that hurdle by moving out of state, some advisers were wary media coverage of such a move would be a distraction for the campaign.
Rubio’s boosters said that as a Latino he could potentially expand Trump’s base. The former president is most popular among white Americans, though he has made significant progress among Hispanic Americans over the years.
Burgum, a relatively unknown figure nationally who made a fortune investing in software companies, could have appealed to business-minded Republicans. His low-key approach to politics would have meshed well with Trump, who prefers not to be upstaged.
But he also signed into law one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the country, taking a conservative stance on an issue that is seen as a vulnerability for Trump.
While Vance is the odds-on favorite, some close to Trump had not ruled out a dark horse contender as of midday Monday.
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