With Biden campaign now struggling, GOP sharpens focus on filling out its own ticket

Uncertainty over whether President Joe Biden will continue seeking reelection, despite his pledges to stay in the race, has sharpened the focus on Donald Trump’s political calculations for choosing his Republican running mate.

Some people close to the former president said privately that they now want him to give more consideration to a young contender or to a person of color, a move that could counter the possibility that someone like Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president, could replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Such a scenario could help at least a couple of Trump’s top contenders: Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, who is the second-youngest member of the Senate, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, whose Cuban American heritage is central to his political biography.

But among those in Trump’s circle who believe that Biden’s disastrous debate performance makes a Republican victory more likely in November, there’s another train of thought: that Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota is now a stronger option. Burgum, also one of Trump’s top contenders, has executive experience from two terms in that office and a long career as a business executive.

Either way, the countdown to Trump’s announcement has begun. His campaign already has parked an airplane dedicated to the Republican vice presidential nominee in an undisclosed hangar, awaiting Trump’s decision, according to one person familiar with the planning.

There also is rising interest for Trump’s next two rallies.

One is planned for Tuesday at Trump’s property in Doral, Florida, in Rubio’s home county, Miami-Dade. Trump has been urging his team for nearly two years to hold a rally at the Doral property, where, as president, he pushed to host the Group of 7 summit until criticism from fellow Republicans persuaded him to hold it elsewhere.

Another rally is scheduled for July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, not far from the border with Vance’s home state of Ohio.

Trump’s reluctance to name a running mate has, in recent days, been partly to avoid shifting the focus away from the president during a stretch when Biden is facing calls from within the liberal establishment and Democratic Party to step aside.

Scott Reed, a Republican strategist who played a central role in the running-mate selection process for Sen. Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, noted that Trump will have to choose soon, regardless of what Biden does. Trump’s pick will be formally nominated during the Republican National Convention, which begins July 15.

With that uncertainty, Reed said, he would urge the former president to base the decision on who could best help him win Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. This trio of battleground states is known as the “blue wall” because of the crucial role each plays in the electoral map for Democrats.

“At this point, Trump should double down and do everything he can to climb the blue wall,” Reed said. “Burgum and Vance can help him in the Midwest, and that’s probably the new prism he’s looking through for this decision. It’s what I would do.”