US Senator Marco Rubio remains one of the leading candidates to act as Donald TrumpThe Florida man is the senator’s running mate, but he has yet to resolve a potential obstacle to the position: a provision in the Constitution that prohibits electors from voting for a president and vice president from the same state.
In an interview with CNN after Thursday’s presidential debate, Rubio dodged a question about whether he would move from Florida if chosen as Trump’s running mate to comply with a clause in the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution dealing with the provision about residence permits.
“Oh, it’s still in there?” Rubio said with a laugh. He declined to confirm whether he would move, saying he had not been offered the job.
Rubio said it would be “presumptuous” to assume he would win approval — but he said he believes Trump could make a decision within the next few weeks. Rubio, who campaigned against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, is in the mix. Numerous reports have stated that so are U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota.
“I was not offered the job,” Rubio said. “I am not the presidential choice at this point, no one is a presidential choice. There is no one right now. We will cross bridges when we reach them.”
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Under a clause in the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, electors cannot vote for both a president and vice president from their home state. If Trump and Rubio were on the same ticket, they would not be able to carry Florida’s 30 presidential electors unless one of them changes their state of residence.
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If Rubio is selected to fill the VP position, he would be the first Hispanic candidate to win a major party presidential nomination, as a Miami native and the son of working-class Cuban immigrants.
But this wouldn’t be the first time that a president and vice president ran for the White House together, despite living in the same state. During the 2000 presidential election, for example, then-Republican candidate and Texas Governor George W. Bush chose Dick Cheney as his running mate.
Because they were both from Texas, Cheney changed his residence to Wyoming just days before Bush picked him for the ticket. Cheney had previously served as congressman for that state.
Trump is expected to appoint his running mate within two to three weeks. The Republican Party Convention starts on July 15.
Miami Herald Editor Max Greenwood contributed to this report.
