Choosing a vice president to run on the 2024 Republican ticket will be difficult. If selected as the Republican presidential nominee, which is likely, Donald Trump’s personal needs will dominate.

Trump’s most obvious requirement for any potential pick is absolute loyalty, a requirement with no exceptions for the thin-skinned former president.

What the VP candidate brings is usually the first consideration in their selection. The Kennedy clan disliked LBJ, but he could give Texas electoral votes and congressional leadership, so he was on the ticket. Nationally, little-known Indiana governor Mike Pence, chosen by Trump in 2016, was selected primarily for his strength among evangelists, an essential component of the Republican base.

Those on the Republican presidential debate stage are unlikely to be in the running.

“Would you support him, should Trump be the Republican nominee?” was the question asked of those on the initial debate stage. All but two, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, never seriously in consideration for either the presidency or vice presidency, raised their hand. As the campaign season progressed, no remaining candidate aggressively criticized the former president. Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and Florida governor Ron DeSantis differed weakly. Even that is an unforgivable “sin” in the Trump family.

The most likely choices are all women, an alternative that Trump has already indicated as a preference.

Attention to the choice of the Republican vice president, at this point, is primarily speculative, but the decision is about to enter a more serious examination.

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem stands high on the list. She has openly campaigned for the office. Like Trump, her policies as governor are far to the right, and her loyalty to Trump is unadulterated. Articulate and energetic, she would be a comfortable partner for the former president.

If glitz, energy and celebrity are the criteria, former Phoenix Fox news anchor and outspoken election denier Kari Lake will likely succeed. She already has the vote among die-hard Trump loyalists, where she is their first preference. She’s from Arizona, one of five swing states, making her an attractive choice. While the election-denying viewpoint resonates with most Republicans, it’s hard to see how it’s a winning strategy on the national scene.

Democrats, fearful of having Kamala Harris on the ticket, might want to temper their fear. Political experts claim that the vice president’s election pull is rarely decisive, and when it is, it is because the candidate is extreme or incompetent. Trump must avoid those alternatives to attract voters beyond his base.

Robert Pawlicki is a retired psychologist and author/InsideSources