Senator Marco Rubio/Photo by U.S. Senate
Former President Donald Trump is gearing up to announce his selection of a running mate for the 2024 election. According to NBC News, Trump has narrowed his list of possible contenders down to three choices: North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.
It’s unclear when Trump will announce his vice presidential selection. Reports have even suggested that the announcement could come this week. As we anxiously await Trump’s selection, here’s a look back at the only contender from the pack who has appeared on an Amarillo ballot — and how they performed in that race.
In 2016, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio appeared on the Republican presidential primary ballot in Texas. Rubio received 503,055 votes statewide, or around 18 percent of the vote. This earned him some delegates from the Lone Star State, and gave him a third-place finish behind Sen. Ted Cruz and then-businessman Trump.
Locally, Rubio didn’t fare quite as well as he did statewide. In Potter County, Rubio received 1,503 votes, or around 13 percent. Meanwhile, Rubio received 3,685 votes in Randall County, or about 15 percent of the vote. In both counties, Rubio placed third behind Cruz and Trump.
Financially, voters in Amarillo also opened up their wallets to Rubio in the 2016 election. According to FEC reports, Rubio received 40 contributions from Amarillo for his unsuccessful presidential primary bid that year, totaling $7,202.
Aside from Rubio, the only other vice presidential contender on Trump’s shortlist to have run for president is Burgum, the software mogul and second-term governor from North Dakota. Burgum dropped out of the 2024 presidential race before filing for the Texas ballot, but he still received some financial support from Amarillo voters for his campaign. According to FEC reports, Burgum reported raising $3,541 from voters in Amarillo before withdrawing from the presidential race.
If Trump picks Rubio as his running mate, it will be the first time a vice presidential pick for a major party ticket has previously appeared on a Texas ballot since then-candidate Barack Obama selected Joe Biden as his running mate in 2008. Biden appeared on the 2008 Democratic primary ballot in Texas, receiving just 0.18 percent of the statewide vote.