Trump eyes Sen. Marco Rubio as a potential VP pick

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is moving up the list of former President Donald Trump's potential vice presidential picks, according to six people familiar with the presumptive Republican nominee's search for a 2024 running mate.

Rubio is hardly alone in the field; the cast of hopefuls for the job is large enough to fill an entire season of "The Apprentice." Trump estimated the number at about 15 in a March 13 interview with Newsmax, and one of the sources said Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., are among those in the mix.

"The list is long, and it's extremely early in any kind of process," one Trump adviser said. "No one has been directly reached out to yet, and I do not expect that for some time."

But Trump's apparent seriousness about Rubio, a 52-year-old, third-term senator, hints at the former president's priorities and presents an intriguing set of potential complications.

Rubio is young and telegenic, he's spent more time in federal office than Vice President Kamala Harris, and, at a time when Trump is bullish on his chances of winning over Latino voters, he would be the first non-white person ever to make a Republican presidential ticket.

In other words, the Miami-born son of working-class Cuban immigrants looks good on paper and on television — a powerful combination for Trump.

"It's pretty clear from Trump's orbit that Rubio is in play," said a veteran Florida GOP operative. "It makes sense because he checks almost every box if they can get past both being from Florida."

The Constitution prohibits electors from voting for a president and vice president from their own state.

"The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by