Trips to Mar-a-Lago. Glowing speeches. Front row seats at major events.

The first Republican presidential primary is nearly a year away and the candidate field is unsettled. But a different kind of shadow contest is already underway, with several Republicans openly competing to position themselves as potential running mates of Donald Trump, who is considered the early front-runner for the nomination.

Lots of people are auditioning right now, Trump boasted to supporters in Florida last month.

Just naming a running mate this early in the process is a departure from the traditional timeline of presidential primaries. Candidates usually spend the first few months of a campaign introducing themselves to voters and sharing their visions for the country.

But as a former president, Trump needs no introduction and seeks to project an air of inevitability around his campaign, especially as attention is increasingly focused on the Florida government. Ron DeSantis, widely seen as Trump’s biggest potential GOP rival.

Trump campaign officials say they have not actively discussed the search for the vice president.

We appreciate all the support for President Trump, but the focus is clearly on making sure he wins the Republican nomination and is well positioned to win the 2024 general election, said Jason Miller, a longtime Trump adviser.

Still, some candidate candidates are taking full advantage of opportunities to be close to Trump, at his Florida resort and at various events. The dynamic was on full display earlier this month at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, where three women named as possible vice presidential candidates sat in the audience to cheer on Trump’s keynote speech.

They were representatives. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Elise Stefanik of New York and news anchor Kari Lake, Arizona’s failed gubernatorial nominee, who ended her remarks at a keynote dinner by kissing a portrait of Trump.

While Trump, according to people who have spoken to him, is in no hurry to make a decision and understands that he needs to let the nomination process unfold, he nevertheless discussed possible choices long before formally announcing his candidacy in the event. In those conversations he has indicated that he is interested in choosing a woman this time.

But allies say Trump is looking first and foremost for someone who will be unabashedly loyal, after feeling burned by then-Vice President Mike Pence for refusing to try to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In 2016, as a famous businessman with no experience in politics, Trump chose a person who was in many ways his complete opposite, choosing the Indiana governor and former congressman who could cement his standing with the conservatives and the religious right.

This time, Trump is looking for someone more like him, said Michael Caputo, a longtime friend and adviser who believes Stefanik would be Trump’s best choice.

I think the president has learned a lot from his experience with Pence,” Caputo said. I think this time Trumps is looking for someone cut from the same fabric as him, not a different, complementary fabric.

Trump is also looking for someone with star power, but has indicated he’s reluctant to pick someone who could overshadow him.

Lake is one of those who seem most excited for the job. She is popular with Trump’s MAGA base and has promoted her win in a CPAC straw poll asking who they would like to see as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

She is seen as unequivocally loyal to the former president, but detractors note she lost her only race and continues to dispute the results, drawing attention to Trump’s own election failures and reinforcing criticism that he is too focused on the past .

She said in a statement earlier this month that she was still 100 percent committed to serving as governor of Arizona “even though the job is held by Democrat Katie Hobbs, who defeated her in November. She added that she is also up for it.” would make sure that President Trump gets back to the White House as soon as possible” and that “anything beyond those two goals is nothing but a distraction.

A person close to Lake said she had not had any formal discussions about the role and was gearing up for a possible Senate run for office. But the person who, like others, discussed private conversations on the condition of anonymity also said Lake was still unapologetically pro-Trump and would likely do anything he asked.

Greene, the flaming congresswoman who recently proposed a national split between red and blue states, is also widely seen as eager for the role. She was a constant presence at Trump’s rallies during the midterm election campaign, spoke frequently during the pre-show program, and was a frequent visitor to Florida, including sharing dinner with Lake at Rocco’s Tacos, a Florida restaurant chain, on Valentine’s Day.

She sees herself shortlisted for Trump’s VP. To paraphrase Cokie Roberts, when MTG looks in the mirror, she sees a potential president smiling back, Trump’s former chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who regularly hosts Greene on his podcast, told NBC, referring to the late political reporter.

When asked recently about her vice presidential aspirations, Greene told reporters, “That’s up to President Trump who he chooses.

Stefanik is also frequently mentioned as a likely contender, but has opted for what allies describe as a more subtle approach. She supported Trump before he announced he was running and has become one of his leading defenders on Capitol Hill. During CPAC, Stefanik used her speech to call for Trump’s re-election, introducing him at a private event hosted by his super PAC. Trump, in turn, praised her as a rocket.

People close to Stefanik say that instead of openly angling for the position, she is focusing on her work as House GOP conference chair and member of the House Intelligence Committee, believing that if she does well, good things will come. things will follow. But she nonetheless has the support of several Trump allies, who see her as disciplined and less risky than other possible options, also pointing to her record for winning swinging suburban districts.

Stefanik said in an interview that she had not discussed the position with Trump, although she had previously said she would be honored to serve on his administration.

We have a lot of work to do over the next two years and I will do everything I can to make sure we have a Republican president, a House and a Senate by 2024,” she said. “So that’s what [I’m] focused on, and it’s a big job.

Trump has also discussed other potential running mates, including two of his rivals for the presidential nomination: his former ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who has been hesitant to criticize the former president since she launched her own presidential bid; and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who would be the first black man on a Republican presidential ticket.

Allies of Haley and Scott say they are serious about running for president, not hoping to serve as vice president or any other cabinet post, though many believe Haley in particular would be open to running for president. offer.

Also named as possible contenders: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who is also considering her own presidential run; Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who supported Trump in 2016 and 2020; and the governor of Iowa. Kim Reynolds, who appeared next to the former president when he visited her state on Monday.

We’re going to have a lot of great choices for vice president,” Trump said as he toured Iowa. “We’re going to pick a great one.”