Donald Trump has narrowed its search for a vice presidential candidate and is focusing on four potential vice presidential candidates, all men, according to a report.
Trump, who was historically convicted on 34 counts in New York last week, recently received verification documents from some candidates, sources told NBC News.
The source told the outlet that the searches focused on North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina and JD Vance of Ohio.
Another insider told NBC News it was a three-way battle between Burgum, Rubio and Vance.
The outlet said it is unclear which of the potential vice presidential candidates was asked to provide verification materials for the campaign.
Trump has said little about what he is looking for in a vice presidential candidate, but has spoken positively about several names. Experts speculated that he wanted someone loyal, capable of fundraising and successful on television.
At a rally at Mar-a-Lago in May, Trump hosted a closed-door fundraiser featuring many of the vice presidential candidates. The next day, many were campaigning for Trump.
“This weekend, there were 15 of us. … They’re all campaigning,” Trump told Spectrum News 1 in Wisconsin a few days later, according to the Associated Press. “It might actually be more effective that way because, you know, each of them thinks they might get picked, which I guess is probably the case.”
Oddsmakers have Scott listed as the favorite, followed by Burgum, Vance and then Rubio.
Trump became the first president in US history to be prosecuted when his hush money trial began in Manhattan on April 15.
He was convicted by the New York jury of all 34 counts of falsifying business records related to paying hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced in New York on July 11, just four days before he becomes the official Republican presidential nominee at the GOP convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The one-term president said he probably won’t decide on his running mate until after the convention.
Mike Pence was nominated by Trump just days before the party’s 2016 convention in Cleveland.
Other names to consider include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Byron Donalds of Florida, as well as Ben Carson, who served in Trump’s Cabinet as secretary of housing and to urban development.
Noem was considered a strong contender until she published her autobiography in which she described shooting her dog Cricket and dumping the animal’s body in a gravel pit.
The independent contacted the Trump campaign for comment.
