Guilty Verdict Scrambles Trump Veepstakes, Makes Wooing Women Voters a Top Priority

Republicans familiar with running mate search note Trump has long had trouble winning over women in the suburbs

Former president Donald Trump hosts a press conference at his Manhattan skyscraper Friday, one day after being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. (Screenshot of C-SPAN by Tom LoBianco/24sight News.)

In the wake of Donald Trump’s historic conviction, the former president has been paying more attention to who can bolster his standing among women voters if placed on the ticket, according to Republicans familiar with the process. 

A New York jury found that Trump was guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in an attempt to conceal his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Immediately after the verdict, Trump began eyeing potential female running mates — seeking someone who could soften his image, said one Republican familiar with the deliberations. 

Contenders who have been discussed throughout the long-running shadow campaign range from House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley – though Haley has been notably quiet about Trump’s conviction, despite saying last week she would vote for him. Other names floated since the conviction have included Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake and even South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, despite the public uproar over her shooting a puppy. 

“He has beaten back EVERY. SINGLE. ATTACK. He’ll beat back this RIGGED conviction, too,” Noem wrote online. 

Shortly after he was found guilty, Stefanik shared Trump’s pitch for campaign contributions — a political plug peppered with proclamations including “I was just convicted!” and “It’s a dark day in America” — on social media. 

“After the verdict, do you go back and say you have to pick a woman?” said one former Trump campaign adviser, pondering how this had changed the political landscape. Being too impulsive, however, the former adviser said, could potentially backfire. 

“It’s getting tough, it’s like the Sarah Palin issue all over again.”