Beneath the preening for the Republican presidential nomination at the Conservative Political Action Conference is a fight for the second spot on the ticket, though it’s a battle none of the potential candidates will admit to trying to win.
Most of the likely hopefuls are slated to speak to thousands of activists gathered in suburban Maryland through Saturday, and 17 of them will appear on the CPAC presidential preference straw poll. But in many activists’ minds, most of them are more likely headed to be vice president or land a Cabinet post in a Republican administration than win the big prize.
“Ultimately, in a large field of aspirants, only one can emerge as the nominee, and in that person’s wake are a variety of superstars,” said Charlie Gerow, a board member of the American Conservative Union, which hosts CPAC.
SEE ALSO: CPAC/Washington Times straw poll tests 17 GOP presidential candidates
Mr. Gerow said the race for vice president and auditioning for other posts are part of the nomination battle and create delicate balancing tests for candidates.
“I think if you are perceived as running for VP it is a negative,” he said. “You don’t run for VP, but you establish yourself as a proven vote-getter and campaigner, and that makes you attractive as a VP candidate.”
The nomination race is shaping up to be one of the most wide-open in modern history, as shown by the number of names on The Washington Times/CPAC straw poll.
The people are current and former governors, members of Congress and business leaders. There is a neurosurgeon, a reality television star and a former vice presidential candidate. Collectively, they span the conservative spectrum from tea partyers to establishment types, libertarians to military hawks and social conservatives.
The four-day event at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center just outside Washington will feature a series of panels and policy discussions on Obamacare and the use of military force, as well as the conservative split on immigration and the Common Core education standards, which are supported by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush but few of his potential rivals.
Event organizers also are hoping to train and equip activists with the skills they need to be effective foot soldiers for the Republican ticket next year.
This year, as Republicans gear up for the primaries that will be underway by the time the next CPAC rolls around, the focus is on likely candidates, most of whom will address the gathering and hope to leave positive impressions with activists.
That will serve as a backdrop to the CPAC poll, which also will ask respondents to name their second choice for president — possibly providing some indications as to whom conservatives see as veep material.
Behind closed doors, conservative activists say former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina or Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, both of whom will address CPAC, are likely auditioning for the second spot.
Some also point to Govs. Susana Martinez of New Mexico, Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Mike Pence of Indiana, former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich of Maryland, and swing-state executives John Kasich of Ohio and Rick Snyder of Michigan as trying out for posts other than the presidency.
Kyle Kondik, of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said that of all the candidates Ms. Fiorina “strikes me as the one who is likeliest to be running not to be the nominee, but to build her standing in the party in order to get a VP nomination or a Cabinet appointment.”
Conventional wisdom says a running mate should balance a ticket ideologically or geographically to strengthen the nominee’s appeal.
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