Burgum, Scott, Vance Top Picks for Vice President
By Christopher Nicholas
Since 1996 (Bob Dole vs. Bill Clinton!) The Lincoln Institute has been surveying Pennsylvania delegates to the respective quadrennial National party conventions.
The big finding in this year’s survey of Republican delegates is who they would prefer to be Donald Trump’s running mate. Their top preference is Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, at more than 16%. He campaigned briefly for president earlier this year but is best remembered for tearing his Achilles tendon the day before the initial GOP presidential debate. Since he dropped out of the race, he has worked hard as a Trump surrogate. He made his fortune running and then selling to Microsoft his software firm.
Pennsylvania Republicans will send 67 Delegates and 67 Alternates to The Republican National Convention, which begins Monday July 15, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Next in preference were two Republican senators, South Carolina’s Tim Scott and Ohio’s J.D. Vance, both at 11.5%. Scott also campaigned for president earlier this year, while Vance has been in the senate only since 2023.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, along with another former Trump Cabinet member, Dr. Ben Carson, were next, at about 10% each. Sen Marco Rubio was next, with 9%.
Recent media attention has focused on Rubio, Burgum and Vance. In late June Trump announced that he had made his decision but said he hadn’t yet informed his choice.
Others receiving votes in this survey included Cong. Elise Stefanik, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tom Cotton and Cong. Byron Donalds.
Unlike the Democrats, whose presidential race is very much in flux, the only drama expected in Milwaukee is Trump’s choice for VP.
(For a glimpse at the history of the Vice Presidency click HERE https://www.patownhall.com/a-glimpse-at-the-history-of-the-vice-presidency/)
Not surprisingly, the top issue for these delegates is the economy/inflation as well as illegal immigration; in addition, 76% of respondents said inflation was having a significant impact on their family budget.
As for who’s to blame for the economy’s ills, 92% blamed President Joe Biden, while about 40% each blamed the Federal Reserve (interest rates) and Congress.
Another interesting question probed how the delegates viewed Congress. As it’s under Democratic control, it was no surprise that more than 88% of Delegates had a negative view of the Senate. But 58% had the same negative impression of the House, which has been under GOP control in this current Congress.
Ninety percent of delegates surveyed believe that “our basic rights as Americans are God-given,” as opposed to being granted by the government; 96% strongly support school choice.
As this story is published on Friday July 12, Trump had not yet announced his choice for VP.
For complete results on all the survey questions, please click here: 2024 Republican Delegate & Alternate Delegate Survey Results – PA Town Hall .
(Christopher Nicholas is a veteran political consultant with Eagle Consulting and publisher of the Pennsylvania Political Digest.)
