This article lists candidates who were considered for the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nomination for

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

in the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

. Businessman

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

of New York, the 2016 Republican nominee for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

, considered several prominent Republicans and other individuals before selecting Governor Mike Pence of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

as his running mate on July 15, 2016. Pence formally won the vice presidential nomination on July 19, 2016, at the 2016 Republican National Convention. The Trump–Pence ticket would go on to win the 2016 election, defeating the Democratic ticket of Clinton– Kaine.

Vetting process and selection

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned his attention towards selecting a running mate after he became the presumptive nominee on May 4, 2016. Trump's rivals, Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, 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 Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (''née'' Sneed; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP). As chief executive officer of HP from 1999 to 2005, Fiorina was ...

. 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. Arthur Boggess Culvahouse Jr. (born July 4, 1948) is an American attorney who served as the United States Ambassador to Australia from 2019 to 2021. He is the former Chair of O'Melveny & Myers, an international law firm of more than 1,000 lawyers ...

led the vetting process for the Trump campaign. Then-campaign manager

Corey Lewandowski Corey R. Lewandowski (; born September 18, 1973) is an American political operative, lobbyist, political commentator and author who is politically associated primarily with Donald Trump. He was the first campaign manager of Trump's 2016 presi ...

and Paul Manafort presented Trump with a list of sixteen names in mid-May, and, starting in June, the Trump campaign began vetting six individuals.

Final selection

On May 10, 2016, Trump told the ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

'' 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, Trump 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 Trump's shortlist included Governor

Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician, lawyer, political commentator, lobbyist, and former federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. Christie, who was born in N ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, former

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

Newt Gingrich of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Senator

Jeff Sessions Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United States ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and Governor

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

of Oklahoma. A June 30 report in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' also included Senators

Bob Corker Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952) is an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Chair of the Senate Foreign Rela ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United S ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

Tom Cotton Thomas Bryant Cotton (born May 13, 1977) is an American politician, attorney, and former military officer serving as the junior United States senator for Arkansas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the U.S. House of ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, and

Joni Ernst Joni Kay Ernst (née Culver; born July 1, 1970) is an American former military officer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Iowa since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served in the Iowa State Se ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

, as well as Governor Mike Pence of

, as individuals still being considered for the ticket. The Trump campaign also strongly considered Governor

, considering him the "perfect choice," but Kasich refused to be considered for the ticket (or endorse the Trump campaign). In early July, Corker and Ernst both declined to be considered as Trump's running mate. Meanwhile, Trump stated that he was considering two military generals for the position, including retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. On July 12, ''

NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...

'' reported that Trump 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

File:Chris Christie April 2015.jpg, File:Newt Gingrich (16649199256) (cropped).jpg, File:Mike Pence February 2015 cropped color corrected.jpg,

Announcement

On July 14, it was reported that Mike Pence had been selected as Donald Trump's running mate, following his acceptance of Trump's offer. Trump had planned to officially announce his choice on July 15 at 11 am. ET, in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, but, following a terrorist attack in

Promenade des Anglais The ''Promenade des Anglais'' (; Niçard: ''Camin dei Anglés''; meaning "English Walkway") is a wikt:en:promenade, promenade along the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, airp ...

, Nice, France, announced the day prior that he would postpone the announcement. On the morning of July 15, Trump announced via Twitter his choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate. Trump made the formal announcement at a news conference at 11 a.m. on July 16. Pence had been running for

re-election The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...

as Governor of Indiana, but Indiana law prevented him from appearing on the election ballot twice, so Pence suspended his gubernatorial campaign. Within the Trump campaign, Pence emerged as a potential running mate in May due to the backing of senior advisers

Kellyanne Conway Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway (née Fitzpatrick; born January 20, 1967) is an American political consultant and pollster, who served as Senior Counselor to the President in the administration of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020. She was previous ...

and Paul Manafort.

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

reported that multiple sources told them that Trump had second thoughts on the Pence pick and attempted to pick Christie instead, though the Trump campaign denied those reports. Following the selection, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' noted that Pence is a "sturdy and predictable politician" who has a strong appeal to the

Christian right The Christian right, or the religious right, are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with ...

. On July 19, the second night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, Pence won the vice presidential nomination by acclamation.

Media speculation on possible selections

Members of Congress

File:Kelly Ayotte, Official Portrait, 112th Congress 1.jpg, File:Marsha blackburn congress (cropped).jpg, File:Sbrownofficial.jpg, File:Richard Burr official portrait crop.jpg, File:Bob Corker official Senate photo (cropped).jpg, File:Ted Cruz, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg, File:Joni Ernst crop.jpg, File:Rob Portman, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, alt=SenatorRob Portmanfrom Ohio(2011–2023), File:Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Official Portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, File:Marco Rubio, Official Portrait, 112th Congress (cropped).jpg, File:Tim Scott, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg, File:Jeff Sessions official portrait.jpg, File:John Thune, official portrait, 111th Congress (cropped).jpg,

Governors

File:Charlie Baker official portrait (cropped).jpg, File:Jan Brewer by Gage Skidmore 5.jpg, File:Governor Phil Bryant.jpg, File:Chris Christie April 2015.jpg, File:Nathan Deal, official 110th Congress photo.jpg, File:Governor Mary Fallin May 2015.jpg, File:Nikki Haley official portrait.jpg, File:Governor Bill Haslam crop.jpg, File:Jon Huntsman Jr. official photo.jpg, File:Asa Hutchinson.jpg, File:Bobby Jindal 2 August 2015.jpg, File:Governor John Kasich.jpg, File:Governor NewMexico.jpg, File:Sarah Palin 2013 CPAC by Gage Skidmore.jpg, File:Mike Pence February 2015 cropped color corrected.jpg, File:Rick Perry by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg, File:Brian Sandoval 2010 (cropped).jpg, File:Rick Scott (cropped).jpg, File:Rick Snyder in 2013.jpg, File:Governor of Wisconsin Scott Walker at New Hampshire Education Summit. The Seventy-Four August 19th, 2015 by Michael Vadon 10 (cropped).jpg,

Other Individuals

File:Herman Cain (6327531406) (cropped).jpg, File:Ben Carson by Gage Skidmore 6a.jpg, File:Carly Fiorina by Gage Skidmore 7.jpg, File:Michael T Flynn (cropped).jpg, File:Rudy Giuliani (cropped).jpg, File:James Mattis.jpg, File:Condoleezza Rice July 2018.jpg, File:Joe Scarborough (NBC News).jpg,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2016 2016 United States presidential campaigns Vice presidency of the United States Republican Party (United States) campaigns Mike Pence Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign Chris Christie Newt Gingrich John Kasich Rick Perry Herman Cain Rudy Giuliani