Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has amassed a campaign war chest of $100 million. He has made all the moves one would make in order to run for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the 2024 Presidential Election.
But he’s yet to officially announce his candidacy—despite the fact that the Florida legislative session has ended. Assuming Florida’s governor does, in fact, run for the GOP nomination this election cycle, he will be a competitive candidate.
In fact, he might beat Donald Trump for the nomination.
If that’s the case, then, DeSantis will need to choose someone as his running mate who will augment his favorable qualities and cover up for whatever unfavorable aspects of his personality and/or policies there are.
Many reading this who are not in the Trump camp likely think that either Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) or former Trump Administration Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley are the two most obvious choices.
This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Not the Usual Suspects
While Scott is a nice guy with an admirable backstory, he’s a bit of a bore. And the big criticism lobbed against DeSantis is that the Florida governor is boring (or, as some politely say, “he’s too heady”). That bird won’t fly in the General Election.
As for Nikki Haley—Neocon Barbie—don’t make me puke.
I am a proud DeSantis supporter. But I’ve made it clear that if DeSantis picks one of the least genuine politicians in the Republican Party, Haley, as his running mate, I’m out. Not only is she a terrible choice but the fact that she is the establishment’s preferred VP candidate for DeSantis would only feed into the narrative that the Trump Campaign has spun about DeSantis being a tool of the globalist elite (which, for the record, is a total lie).
DeSantis does not need a rabid warmonger nipping at his heels from the Old Executive Office Building, should he win the 2024 Presidential Election (if he gets through the tough GOP primary, I believe he will win the White House).
Who should it be then?
What Does Ron DeSantis Need in a Running Mate?
DeSantis is the anti-Trump. He’s a policy nerd like me. What’s more, Florida’s governor has a record and a life experience to back up his conservative policy bona fides. Whereas Trump is a pungent pugilist in public, DeSantis is disciplined and detached.
These qualities have helped DeSantis to shape the socioeconomic policies that have transmogrified Florida into the best run state in the Union.
Yet, these attributes can also be hindrances in national retail politics. This is a fact that Trump has shamelessly exploited to his advantage thus far.
Already rumors have swirled that DeSantis’ recent world tour and national book tour were relative flops. These were to be soft openings for what very well could be the forty-seventh president of the United States and he mostly fell flat.
That’s because DeSantis’ strong suit is not in working the room. He’s much more like Richard Nixon in that way, who famously had to psyche himself out before going to a room full of donors or possible voters. Despite this, Nixon was probably one of the most brilliant and competent presidents from the all-important (though often overlooked) policy standpoint.
What DeSantis needs is someone who is his polar opposite in terms of personality and background. He also needs someone who has star potential, but not someone who is already a known commodity nationally.
Someone more known than DeSantis is or who is more well-liked by the base could be dangerous for DeSantis. DeSantis would spend his presidency constantly looking over his shoulder.
No, Ron DeSantis needs to tap someone as his VP who is more in tune with the “MAGA” types than he is but someone who is still up-and-coming and can be “made” by DeSantis.
Mark Robinson: The Quintessential American Success Story
That person is the current Republican South Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson (full disclosure: my first two books were published by the same publishing house as Robinson’s recent biography).
A true rags-to-riches story, Robinson first rose to prominence in 2018 when he stormed the Greensboro City Council to deliver what many described as a “fiery” and “common sense” speech defending gun rights. From there, Robinson cut quite a swathe in conservative media as a black man who was proudly—defiantly—conservative.
Robinson hits every point that DeSantis needs in a running-mate. The lieutenant governor has executive experience. He’s tough-as-nails. Robinson plays well in the media environment, too. Robinson is brash and loud—like a younger Donald Trump—whereas DeSantis is quiet and calculating.
Both men are proven conservatives from an ideological perspective. They’d play off each other well as president and vice-president. What’s more, Robinson speaks to a large segment of the voting populace that neither DeSantis nor former President Donald Trump do: African-American males.
End the Gerontocracy NOW
God-willing, in 2024, the voters will finally sweep aside the gerontocracy and send both Trump and President Biden packing for good. Just like DeSantis, Robinson is a member of Generation-X. These two men understand what’s happening in our country and they have been on the frontline fighting the excesses of a craven elite and an utterly out-of-touch Baby Boom generation who purport to rule us.
If he’s lucky enough to be the Republican nominee in 2024, DeSantis must pick Mark Robinson as his running-mate. The two men will dominate the field and will lead the United States into a new era of greatness. But time is running out for our great country. It must be these two or we just might lose America forever.
More: Could Mike Pence Beat Donald Trump in 2024?
More: NATO vs. Russia – What World War III Would Look Like
A 19FortyFive Senior Editor, Brandon J. Weichert is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life (May 16), and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy (July 23). Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
