Donald Trump has many choices over who to pick as his potential running mate, but former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Thursday he doesn't think he's on that list.
"No, he's not talked to me about it," Gingrich told Fox News'
"Fox & Friends" program. "I think he has a wide range of choices to look at, and I think that there are a number of very qualified people that would be very effective as vice presidential candidates."
On Wednesday, Gingrich told Fox News' Greta Van Susteren that he'd listen if Trump wanted to talk to him about it, but he figures he has a
"1000 to 1" chance of being picked.
But Gingrich has several suggestions for Trump, and many of them are women, as "it's obvious you look at it and you're trying to beat Hillary Clinton, you at least think about whether or not that's who you want."
"Gov. [Susana] Martinez in New Mexico is a very effective, creative person," said Gingrich, also naming South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin as other potential picks.
Trump said Thursday morning that there is a "40 percent" chance that his pick will come from the people who fought him for the GOP nomination, and Gingrich said that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has "already been through a tremendous fight about reform."
"You have to look at Gov. [John] Kasich because no Republican has ever won without winning Ohio," said Gingrich, and "Sen. [Marco] Rubio was a very attractive candidate and came a long way down the road."
The criteria is key, because the vice president is second in line for the Oval Office, and Gingrich said the eventual nominee will need to be someone who shares Trump's values "or you'll create a mess."
"My hunch is, frankly Trump thinks he will win the election," said Gingrich. "I don't think he's relying on the vice presidential nominee to be a major factor."
Meanwhile, Gingrich admitted that he did not think a year ago that Trump would be the eventual nominee, "because none of us, including me, understood the level of skill he'd bring to the campaign or the level of alienation the American people felt that led them to reject virtually everybody who had experience."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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