Here are all the top contenders to be Trump's vice-presidential nominee in 2024

The 58-year-old three-term senator endorsed Trump shortly before the New Hampshire primary. The South Carolinian also largely avoided criticizing Trump in a way that may have foreclosed him being on the ticket.

Trump also confirmed earlier this week that Scott is under consideration. Scott further stoked speculation that he could be picked by telling the Wall Street Journal that he found his and Trump's contrasting styles "to be very complementary."

It's worth noting that while the former president has a growing list of congressional allies, the Senate has repeatedly been an issue for him.

Like some other candidates on this list, Ramaswamy is unlikely to be chosen as Trump's next VP. But that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who would like to see it.

Ramaswamy was perhaps the only candidate in the race who never dared to issue substantive criticisms of Trump, choosing instead to run as a staunch supporter of the former president who would carry that mantle forward.

He dropped out immediately after coming in 4th in Iowa, endorsing Trump and likely securing himself some sort of future position in MAGA world, if not Trump's actual cabinet.

But while Ramaswamy would be popular with some of Trump's most devoted followers, his penchant for conspiracy theorizing would likely be a liability in a general election.

The second-term South Dakota governor, perhaps best known nationally for flouting COVID restrictions during the pandemic, is perhaps the most likely pick for Trump's VP at this point.

When recently asked about the prospect, Noem wasn't that shy about it: "I think anybody in this country, if they were offered it, needs to consider it," she said on CBS earlier this month.

Popular with the base while bringing four years of governing experience, Noem would provide gender balance to the ticket while also satisfying Trump's desire for loyalty.

Donalds, currently in just his second term, has risen rapidly in Congress. Conservatives opposed to Kevin McCarthy's leadership put the Florida Republican forth as an alternative to the then-longtime House GOP leader. Donalds was later added to the powerful House Steering Committee after he switched his support to McCarthy and McCarthy went on to become speaker.

That wasn't his only major flip. Donalds, who had previously been DeSantis' close ally, endorsed Trump last April, part of a string of Florida Republicans that snubbed their governor to back the former president. Donalds has also been floated as a potential successor to DeSantis, who cannot run for reelection in 2026 due to consecutive term limits.

Donalds was also among the six potential names Ingraham suggested to the former president. Trump responded by saying, "They're all good, they're all solid."

Like DeSantis, Donalds would also have to deal with potential concerns of sharing the same home state as Trump.

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is likely the most surprising name on this list. A former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, she endorsed President Joe Biden after previously declaring Trump "unfit" to remain as president.

Gabbard's politics have changed drastically since then. In 2022, she announced that she was formerly leaving the Democratic Party. Over time, the four-term former congresswoman became a fixture on Fox News and at political events. According to The Washington Post, Gabbard has also advised the former president and his team about defense policy.

She was also among the six names Ingraham asked Trump about in terms of potential running mates.

Trump and his allies spent over a year ruthlessly attacking DeSantis. It was only toward the end of his disappointing primary that the 45-year-old began to return fire.

DeSantis did endorse Trump immediately after dropping out before New Hampshire, but the question remains if either side would want to repair their political alliance. There appeared to potentially be a brief peace, but that now seems to be in question after a top Trump campaign official tore into DeSantis. The public attack was in response to a report that DeSantis privately expressed concern that Trump might resort to "identity politics" when selecting his vice president.

Despite having just been elected to the US Senate last year, Vance has repeatedly been floated as a vice-presidential candidate for Trump.

And he's not saying no.

"Certainly if the president asked, I would have to think about it," Vance recently said while stumping for Trump in New Hampshire — though he also said that the "best place for me" is to remain in the US Senate.

A former venture capitalist and the author of the bestselling book "Hillbilly Elegy," Vance was once a "NeverTrumper" and a fierce critic of the former president. But he has since morphed into one of his staunchest acolytes in the Senate, and he's at the vanguard of a movement that seeks to reorient the party more towards the working class.

Haley, who has remained clear her campaign will continue, has repeatedly said she's not interested in being anyone's vice president. Trump's choice of Mike Pence illustrates that he could tap someone to unite the party, but it's clear the former president is nowhere near happy with how that marriage ended.

Haley's biggest strength would be her effort to appeal to independent voters. She could also hopefully repair Trump's long-running struggles in the nation's suburbs. It's clear, though, that her decision to keep campaigning is starting to grate on Trump.

Greene, the fire-breathing conspiracy-minded congresswoman from Georgia, wouldn't exactly be a tent-expanding choice for the former president.

But that hasn't stopped her from talking up her own prospects.

"It's talked about frequently and I know my name is on a list," Greene told The Guardian in August. "But really my biggest focus right now is serving the district that elected me."

A second-term legislator with no major policy accomplishments, Greene wouldn't bring much to the equation when it comes to policy chops or broadening Trump's appeal. In fact, it could damage the ticket, given her extremely poor polling.

But there's little doubt that a portion of Trump's base would be happy with such a selection, if he decided to go that way.

The chairwoman of the House GOP Conference, Stefanik is the highest-ranking official who is seen as a potential Trump pick.

The New York congresswoman, who ascended to her leadership position on the heels of Liz Cheney's ouster, has notably undergone a sharp shift when it comes to Trump, beginning with the 2019 impeachment hearings.

Trump has reportedly described Stefanik as a "killer" and a potential pick in private, and the congresswoman recently said she "would be honored to serve in any capacity in a Trump administration."

Lake, a former broadcast journalist whose devotion to Trump is unparalleled among Republicans, is technically running for another job right now: the US Senate seat in Arizona currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

But that hasn't quieted any speculation about her joining Trump on a presidential ticket.

Lake has quickly risen to become one of Trump's most willing surrogates, stumping for him in states like Iowa despite having her own race to run.

She also narrowly lost the 2022 gubernatorial election in Arizona to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs, and much like Trump, she has continued to claim that the election was stolen from her.

Youngkin, 57, unlike the other governors on this list, has shown he can win a competitive state. The former private equity maven shocked political pundits by narrowly winning the Virginia governor's race in 2021. But Youngkin won in large part by ignoring Trump.

The Virginian's political stock has also declined in the wake of disappointing state legislative elections that saw Democrats gain full control of the statehouse in Richmond. Trump might honestly be more concerned that Youngkin has ties to Jeff Roe, a former Cruz advisor, who left Youngkin's orbit to lead a pro-DeSantis super PAC that ended disastrously.

No one on this list knows Trump like Sanders. As his second White House press secretary, Sanders turned her turn at the podium into a governorship. As Arkansas governor, she's pursued an array of conservative policies.

She has endorsed Trump's campaign, but she has hinted that she wouldn't be interested in returning to the White House as vice president.

"Look, I absolutely love the job I have. I think it's one of the best jobs I could ever ask for, and I am honored to serve as governor, and I hope I get to do it for the next seven years," Sanders told CBS News.

Few states drifted further to the right under Trump's presidency than Iowa. But Reynolds, who gave the GOP's official response to Biden's 2022 State of the Union address, is likely out of favor in Trumpworld after endorsing DeSantis.

Trump repeatedly tore into Reynolds in the closing days before his historic Iowa caucus blowout win. He's also suggested that state Attorney General Brenna Bird should lead Iowa someday in the future.

Reynolds is a two-time incumbent who is also a former head of the Republican Governors Association, a perch that some former occupants have used to catapult them onto the national stage.