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Washington, Jul 1: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is the leading candidate to be picked as Donald Trump’s running mate, followed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a media report has said. According to The Washington Post, the campaign of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has asked both Gingrich and Christie to submit documents for the vetting process and answer more than 100 questions from attorney Arthur B Culvahouse, who has been tasked with the job. Gingrich (73), who has experience of successfully running the Congress as Speaker of the House of Representatives when Bill Clinton was the president, was a presidential candidate in the 2012 elections.
Last year, he had helped launch Republican Hindu Coalition PAC, and was among the first few US leaders to have supported Narendra Modi when he was BJP’s prime ministerial candidate. 53-year-old Christie was himself a presidential candidate this election cycle, before dropping out early in the primaries. He has maintained a strong relationship with the Indian-American community who constitute a strong political group in New Jersey. He was one of the few American politicians to have met Modi during his first visit to the US in September 2014 after becoming the Prime Minister. (ALSO READ: Barack Obama says Donald Trump is not populist )
Both Gingrich and Christie are advocates of a strong India-US relationship and have a close ties with the Indian-American community. Despite media speculation, the Trump campaign has not thrown up any hint on his running mate. Trump, 70, on Thursday described both Gingrich and Christie as “great guys”. In the recent past, Trump has said he plans to announce his vice presidential running mate around the Cleveland convention later this month.
The Washington Post, however, said Trump might announce his running as early as next week. Among others reported to be in the short list are Senators Jeff Sessions and Bob Corker. A few other names are also floating around — Senators Richard Burr, Tom Cotton, John Thune and Joni Ernst and Governors Mike Pence and Mary Fallin. The Washington Post said Gingrich has an edge over Christie as of now. “Given Trump’s unpredictability, campaign associates caution that the presumptive Republican nominee could still shake up his shortlist,” the daily said.
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