South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem shrugged off reports that she hasn’t made the cut for finalists in former President Donald Trump’s veepstakes — but appeared to throw her support behind one candidate for the job.
Noem, 52, who has continued to campaign for the 45th president, was adamant that she will continue to back him nonetheless and urged him to tap a woman for his ticket.
“I’ve told President Trump over and over again he needs to pick whoever helps him win. I have been loyal to him since the very beginning,” Noem told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
“I don’t care. I love my job in South Dakota. I care about the fact that I want him to win.”
Multiple reports say that Trump has winnowed down his list of vice presidential contenders to at least eight:
- North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum
- Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)
- Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio)
- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.)
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC)
- Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)
- Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)
- Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson
Several of those seven have been asked to fill out paperwork for more extensive vetting, Fox News reported.
Trump, 77, has said that he intends to reveal his VP pick at the July 15-18 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“All the polls tell him in these swing states that a woman on the ticket helps him win,” Noem surmised. “One in four Republican women haven’t made up their minds because they want to have a woman talking to them about the issues.”
“I want him to win, and the polling tells me that he needs women out on the campaign trail carrying his message.”
The only woman on the reported shortlist is Stefanik — suggesting that Noem may think Trump should pick her.
President Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, became the first woman elected vice president, when Biden won the 2020 election.
Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also selected a woman, Nicole Shanahan, as his vice presidential candidate.
Noem had once been seen as a potential VP contender, but then she ran into controversy last month following revelations from her book in which she recounted the story of shooting the family dog almost two decades ago.
At the time, she had young children and fretted that Cricket, a wirehaired pointer, posed safety concerns to her family, but the revelation quickly sparked controversy.
“I’m a mom and protected my children from a vicious animal,” Noem shot back Sunday when asked. “People are put in tough situations in life, and we learn from it.”
