Vivek Ramaswamy among voters’ top picks as Trump’s vice president 

Indian American tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy is among voters’ top four picks as Donald Trump’s running mate with the former President poised to win the Republican nomination after nearly sweeping the board on Super Tuesday.

But not surprisingly Indian American Nikki Haley, the last challenger to Trump who recently dropped out of the Republican nomination race, garnered a 49% disapproval rating, second only to former Vice President Mike Pence with 54%, in a new poll.

Opinion | Vivek Ramaswamy will transform conservative politics in America (February 3, 2024)

In a YouGov poll released on March 4, Republicans and right-leaning independents were asked whether they approved or disapproved of 15 individuals to be Trump’s running mate. The poll sampled 1,000 US adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

A majority, totaling 62%, said they strongly or somewhat approved of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, making him the most supported option.

Following DeSantis were Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former HUD Secretary Ben Carson and former presidential candidate Ramaswamy, who received 58%, 57% and 52% approval, respectively.

Among the more unconventional choices were former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who came in seventh with 46% approval, followed by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who received 44% approval.

The least-favored options were New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who only received 26% approval, and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who earned 28% approval.

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy leads straw poll for Trump’s VP pick (February 28, 2024)

Asked who they would most prefer to be on Trump’s ticket, a plurality of Republicans and right-leaning independents, 13%, chose DeSantis. Twelve percent selected Ramaswamy, 11% chose Haley and 10% selected RFK Jr.

The other listed individuals all received single-digit support — with the exception of Greene, who garnered 0% support.

The former president has mused openly about his vice presidential pick on multiple occasions, telling Fox News on Feb 29 that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was “absolutely” on his shortlist.

During a February 20 Fox News town hall, he declared that Ramaswamy, DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott were all on his shortlist.

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and former Hawaii Rep. and Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard were also contenders, he confirmed.

Back in January, he told the outlet that he had someone in mind for the position, saying, “The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard.”

READ: Vivek Ramaswamy, Tulsi Gabbard on Trump’s VP shortlist (February 21, 2024)

“I think people won’t be that surprised,” Trump added.

Historically, major party presidential candidates announce their running mate sometime around the party conventions. This year’s Republican convention will take place in Milwaukee from July 15-18. But with Trump virtually assured of his nomination, speculation is already rife about his vice presidential pick.