Donald Trump's Possible VP Pick: 'Tuberculosis Picking Leprosy'

TALLAHASSEE, FL — As New York businessman Donald Trump edges ever closer to gaining the Republican nomination for president, speculation that surfaced earlier in the year about a possible team up with Florida Gov. Rick Scott is reaching new heights.

Trump has secured 996 of the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination. With Sen. Ted Cruz, the Republican in second place, only having 565 delegates to his name the time for Trump to consider possible running mates is now.

While Trump may have some names on a short list, he’s not willing to tip his hat just yet. Unlike Cruz, who named former candidate Carly Fiorina as his official choice, Trump seems to prefer letting the speculation fly a bit longer.

Over the weekend, Trump did offer some insights on the qualities he’s looking for in a vice presidential pick.

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Trump wants someone with “a strong political background,” The New York Times quoted him as saying. He’s also looking for someone who would make “a great president,” if the need arose.

While Trump stopped short of going into detail about potential running mates, he did take time out to dole praise on three state governors during his interview – Scott was one of them. Governors Chris Christie and John Kasich were the other two.

Scott’s office has indicated that he’s focused on being the governor of Florida, not a potential running mate. That, however, hasn’t stopped him from urging Republicans to get behind Trump as the heir apparent to the nomination.

While some have said Scott’s repeated pleas for party unity add up to a formal endorsement, no such statement has been issued yet. In fact, Trump, who posts all endorsements on his campaign website only notes Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s thumbs up for his candidacy on the website. Other endorsements have come in from Florida and other states, but one from Scott is not officially among them.

Whether Scott will make the final cut – or even wants to – remains to be seen. The prospect, however, has pundits across the state salivating.

“This would be like tuberculosis picking leprosy as a running mate,” Sun Sentinel columnist Michael Mayo wrote about the possible pairing. Mayo also noted Trump’s 65 percent unfavorable rating and Scott’s own unfavorable rating of 48 percent.

Even so, Scott has managed to pull off victories in two hotly contested gubernatorial races, the Northwest Florida Daily News pointed out. Despite that, the paper quoted Scott Arceneaux of the Florida Democratic Party as saying, “We could not be so lucky.”

Just who Trump will choose – and who might say yes – remains to be seen. In the meantime, Scott’s on a mission to swipe jobs from California despite a most unwelcoming welcome from that state’s governor, Jerry Brown.

Photo of Rick Scott from the Rick Scott Facebook page