
Down to Three in the Veepstakes?
Author: Greg Valliere
June 24, 2024
THE VERY SHORT LIST: Donald Trump said over the past weekend that he has made his decision on a running mate. Trump is a master promoter, so he will tease this, not making his announcement until the GOP convention starts on July 13.
BUT REPUBLICAN INSIDERS ARE BUZZING that the race has narrowed to three candidates, all of whom have been aggressively vetted:
1. Marco Rubio: The insiders’ favorite, Rubio is popular within the party; he’s a prolific fundraiser. A Cuban-American, Rubio would be a clear plus with Hispanic voters, and he’s among the party’s leading experts on geopolitics.
RUBIO ISN’T PARTICULARLY CLOSE to Trump — he once called Trump a “con artist” — and may be too hawkish for the party on foreign policy. Plus, he would have to change jurisdictions to satisfy a requirement that both the presidential and vice presidential candidates can’t be from the same state. But Rubio is a pro, in his prime, ready to be president.
2. J.D. Vance: A decade ago Vance regularly roasted Trump, but now the conservative Ohio senator is a fierce supporter of the former president. Vance is very good on TV and if he’s on the ticket, the GOP is even more likely to capture the Ohio Senate seat of Sherrod Brown.
3. Doug Burgum: The wealthy North Dakota governor gets along famously with Trump, and Burgum is a proponent of more fossil fuel production, a major Trump theme. But Burgum, 67, has virtually no name recognition and is a blank slate on most domestic issues.
THERE COULD BE A WILD CARD who has snuck into this threesome, most likely Rep. Elise Stefanik, but most Americans have never heard of the upstate New York congresswoman.
A LONG-SHOT: Nikki Haley would be an electrifying pick and we don’t rule her out — she would bring just enough moderate voters to win states like Pennsylvania. But Haley and Trump have a frosty relationship; she’s very very ambitious, and is virtually certain to run in 2028.
WE’LL STICK WITH OUR PREDICTION that Rubio will be Trump’s pick. He is not a lightweight, a criticism often levied against VP candidates in both parties. Trump-Rubio would be a difficult ticket to beat, especially since campaign fundraising has shifted tremendously toward the Republicans.
The views expressed in this blog are provided as a general source of information based on information available as of the date of publication and should not be considered as personal investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy and/or sell securities. Speculation or stated believes about future events, such as market or economic conditions, company or security performance, or other projections represent the beliefs of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of AGF, its subsidiaries or any of its affiliated companies, funds or investment strategies. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in these commentaries at the time of publication; however, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Market conditions may change and AGF accepts no responsibility for individual investment decisions arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein. Any financial projections are based on the opinions of the author and should not be considered as a forecast. The forward looking statements and opinions may be affected by changing economic circumstances and are subject to a number of uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward looking statements. The information contained in this commentary is designed to provide you with general information related to the political and economic environment in the United States. It is not intended to be comprehensive investment advice applicable to the circumstances of the individual.
AGF Investments is a group of wholly owned subsidiaries of AGF Management Limited, a Canadian reporting issuer. The subsidiaries included in AGF Investments are AGF Investments Inc. (AGFI), AGF Investments America Inc. (AGFA), AGF Investments LLC (AGFUS) and AGF International Advisors Company Limited (AGFIA). AGFA and AGFUS are registered advisors in the U.S. AGFI is a registered as a portfolio manager across Canadian securities commissions. AGFIA is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and registered with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. The subsidiaries that form AGF Investments manage a variety of mandates comprised of equity, fixed income and balanced assets.
About AGF Management Limited
Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. Our companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Capital Partners and AGF Private Wealth.
AGF brings a disciplined approach, focused on incorporating sound, responsible and sustainable corporate practices. The firm’s collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America and Europe. AGF serves more than 800,000 investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.
For further information, please visit AGF.com.
©2025 AGF Management Limited. All rights reserved.