Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump might already be eyeing his next pick for Vice President.
According to a report in Politico Wednesday, several aides for Trump reportedly floated South Carolina Republican Congressman Nancy Mace as a possible running mate for him in 2024, a pick that would potentially give him an inside lane on several of his South Carolina-based rivals in the race and bolster support in the Palmetto State ahead of its crucial February primaries.
Mace, members of Trump's inner circle told the outlet, gained the attention of staffers for the former president on the heels of a flurry of television appearances defending Trump after his federal indictment for removing classified documents from the White House.
"The fact that Nancy has been a constant and consistent presence in defense of President Trump has not gone unnoticed," Chris LaCivita, a former Mace aide who now serves as a Trump adviser told the outlet.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump's campaign via email for comment. In a statement, a representative for Mace downplayed the talk of a potential vice-presidential bid, telling Newsweek Mace "is entirely focused on delivering results for the people of South Carolina and looks forward to a Republican being in the White House after the 2024 election."
It would be a stunning reversal for Trump as well as for Mace, a former surrogate for Trump who turned into a vocal critic of the former president after his role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, claiming at the time his "entire legacy was wiped out." But there could be strategic reasons.
Some, according to the outlet, speculated the purple district Congresswoman could potentially be a boon for Trump's efforts to reach the suburban women he needed to be successful in a general election. It could also be a recognition of Mace's appeal to independents after Trump's endorsement of Mace's primary opponent in 2022, who ultimately lost in a landslide.
Most notable, however, is the significance it could play in South Carolina's Republican Primary, which observers believe will be critical for candidates to prove their viability after the retail politics-rich environments of Iowa and New Hampshire.
Also running against Trump are South Carolina-based candidates Tim Scott, a U.S. Senator, and Nikki Haley, his former ambassador to the United Nations and the state's former governor who herself was critical to Mace's success last summer. Haley was a vocal supporter of Mace during her contentious primary battle against Trump-endorsed candidate Katie Arrington, while Scott himself had previously been floated as a potential vice-presidential option for Trump before announcing his own presidential bid earlier this year.
Mace, notably, has not endorsed either of them. And when Haley announced her bid for president in Mace's district, the congresswoman was notably absent from the stage.
