Dr. Ben Carson confirmed five people on presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s list of potential vice presidential running mates in a recent interview.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 VP running mate to John McCain, was one of the five Carson said was on the list. The rest are all former 2016 GOP presidential candidates: Trump’s closest competitor Sen. Ted Cruz, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Marco Rubio, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Carson named the VP contenders to the Washington Post during a car ride with his wife Candy to a TV interview. Carson has been traveling as a spokesman for Trump. He has also been placed on a committee working on pinning down a running mate for the real estate mogul turned GOP presumptive presidential nominee.
Candy was noted in the backseat exchange as saying Carson was not on the list. They had been discussing a poll which named Carson as a favorable Trump running mate.
The list of five may not be all of the names on the list. However, in recent days, Trump told the Associated Press that he had whittled the VP short list to five or six. Trump did not, however, reveal who those five or six were. During an interview with Fox News host Greta Van Susteren, he suggested that the list was five or six or seven. He also suggested former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer or Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin could be on the list and that there were at least a few women on the list when Van Susteren asked. He said there was one on the list that would not be as government-related as the others.
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is said to be heading up the VP selection process. The final choice is expected to be revealed at the July Republican National convention where Trump will presumably be named the official Republican nominee.
Follow Michelle Moons on Twitter @MichelleDiana