Former President Donald Trump has not picked a running mate in 2024. Over the weekend, Gov. Ron DeSantis met with Trump in South Florida.
These two facts are not related.
DeSantis has said he has no interest in being Trump’s vice president. The weekend meeting, which was first reported by the Washington Post, was about the two men mending fences after a bruising Republican presidential primary.
But there are Florida men reportedly in the mix to be Trump’s VP pick. And that might be a problem for the former president.
The 12th Amendment to the Constitution, which created the modern process by which the Electoral College picks the president, reads, “The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”
That means Florida’s 30 Electoral College members can’t vote for both a president and vice president who are Floridians.
Trump currently resides in Florida, just like Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — whose names have been floated at some point as potential VP picks. (Other potential picks that Trump is reportedly considering: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, among others.)
This doesn’t mean Trump is precluded from picking a Florida running mate. But in the event of a close Trump victory, it would make things uncomfortable for the American political system.
If Trump were to win the 270 electoral votes to claim the presidency, but his running mate could not claim enough such votes, the U.S. Senate would be forced to decide the next vice president. If the vote is still tied there, all sorts of craziness could ensue.
In the scale of a 2024 election where so much is at stake, this is probably a small detail. But it’s also probably best to prepare for potential political chaos.
Kirby Wilson is a politics reporter, covering the leaders of Florida and explaining the political landscape. Reach him at kwilson@tampabay.com.
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