Who You Gonna Call? Not Pence!

Mary Altaffer

Despite all the speculation, Trump (left) still tries to keep a good image with Pence (right).

Due to some speculation that President Trump may not run for re-election with his current Vice President, Mike Pence, many rumors regarding his next running mate have been swirling around as the election draws nearer.

Despite a few weak denials from President Trump, it seems like all signs point towards a new future right-hand man. While nothing is confirmed yet, there are many possible candidates that could take Pence’s place in the next election.

One of Trump’s most likely candidates is former governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley. As South Carolina’s first female governor, she made a big impact on both her state and the country, and in 2016, Time magazine decided to name her one of the top 100 most influential people in the world. It was around this time that she became the front runner for U.S. Ambassador for the United Nations. She served in this position for two years, gaining more political experience and knowledge of foreign policy.

As far as Haley’s political views go, it seems like she sides with the current president in many areas. Like Trump, she is a strong voice for the pro-life movement and has supported many bills fighting abortion. In addition, she has passed many bills involving the lowering of taxes. More specifically, she helped to exempt sales tax on unprepared and canned food in South Carolina. Haley also agrees with Trump on immigration. In fact, one of the bills that she was most passionate about required all immigrants to carry around printed documentation of themselves at all times. Considering all of these different factors, it seems like Haley is one of the more ideal options for Trump to consider if he decides not to stick with Pence.

Another possible choice for Trump is another prominent figure from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham. Graham once spoke out against President Trump as one of his harsher critics, but today he serves as one of his best bets for a 2020 running partner. Besides being a valuable asset to President Trump as Vice President, this could also be Graham’s chance to make a name for himself and get a head start for a possible presidential campaign of his own.  With plenty of experience, Graham has served as a senator in South Carolina ever since 2003, and before that, he was a member of the House of Representatives for two years. He was also a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. In 2015, Graham even decided to run for president, but decided to drop out shortly after entering.

Graham’s political standings mesh with those of President Trump for the most part, and although they may disagree on a few things, it seems like they would have a lot in common. As a strong supporter of the pro-life movement, Graham heavily supported an act in 2015 that would ban abortion after 20 weeks all across the country. As for immigration, Graham feels strongly about immigration reform and even suggested an amendment to the 14th Amendment that would cause all children born of illegal immigrants to be considered illegal immigrants. Though they have not always been the best of friends, Graham might be the perfect person for Trump to call on politically.

While she may not be the most obvious woman for the job, Mia Love might end up helping President Trump in ways he did not even think about. Partnering with her would certainly boost his approval ratings among minority groups and women, and Love has plenty of experience too. In 2015, the state of Utah made her the first ever black Republican woman to be elected to Congress, and she still holds that position today. Prior to that, she also held the position of mayor in Saratoga Springs, Utah.

Not only is Love a strong advocate for the pro-life movement and an active participant in the annual March for Life, but she also has fought to limit the number of illegal immigrants in the country. While she does not agree with President Trump on the separating of families, Love does have the same drastic Trump-like ideas when it comes to taxes and government spending. Love has previously and continuously proposed massive budget cuts of up to $750 billion. Her plan is to cut down on healthcare programs and free meals for public schools, along with the discontinuation of many other programs, in order to stop unnecessary taxing of citizens. Considering their agreement on these big ideas, Trump should be actively pursuing Love for the White House next year.

At this point in time, the future is uncertain, but the main takeaway is that Trump has an infinite number of options. Should he decide to ditch current Vice President Mike Pence, there are many qualified individuals waiting to snatch an opportunity.