Who Will Be Mitt Romney's Running Mate?

Romney / ? - 2012

By Jared Allebest (Conservative Samizdat)

People have been speculating on who Mitt Romney will pick to have as his running mate and future Vice President. Romney has so far hasn't said much about who he will pick, but in an interview with National Review, he's said that he hasn't made a list yet but that he's in the process of making one. that he's looking for someone who can also lead the nation if necessary: 

NRO: Let’s begin with your process of selecting your running mate. As you’ve interacted with elected officials throughout this primary season, have you thought about any of them as potential running mates and whether you would trust that person to be a heartbeat away from the presidency?

Mitt Romney: [Laughter.] I’m not going to give you any names!
NRO: You don’t have to give names. Just . . . has anybody piqued your interest?

Romney: There are a lot of terrific people in our party, as I’m sure you know. We will begin to put together a list of folks to do a deep-dive vetting. That’s something which Beth Myers, my former chief of staff and former campaign manager, is guiding. I’ve been very impressed with a lot of folks I’ve worked with, and I’m impressed with others that have not been in battleground states, but who nonetheless are key leaders in our party. At this point, it is a wide-open process.
NRO: Is there one trait or quality that you think is particularly important for a running mate and vice president?

Romney: The vice president has to be someone who would be seen as having the capability to become president and lead the country if that were to become necessary. That is, without question, the most important quality that you consider.

Romney has already selected campaign advisor Beth Meyers to assist him in making his selection. Here a list of possible running mates that Beth Meyers might be looking at:

Marco Rubio

Mitch Daniel 

Rob Portman

John Kasich

Condoleezza Rice

Chris Christie

Cathy Morris Rodger 

Paul Ryan 

Bobby Jindal

Bob McDonnell 

Luis Fortuno

Susana Martinez

Nikki Haley

Allen West 

Kelly Ayotte

Jeb Bush

Tim Pawlenty 

Rick Santorum  

Many candidates have either stated that they will or will not be Mitt Romney's running mate. Marco Rubio has consistently stated that hewill not be Romney's Vice President. Many people have recommended Marco Rubio to be Mitt's VP like Jeb Bush. However, Marco Rubio saidthat Jeb Bush would make a good running mate for Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush said he would be Mitt's VP if asked. 

Bobby Jindal has also stated that he's not interested in being Mitt's running mate because he likes being the governor of Louisiana. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has given conflicting answers in which he has said he wouldn't mind being Romney's VP but has said at other times that he wouldn't be his running mate. 

South Carolina Govenor Nikki Haley has said she would not be Mitt Romney's running mate and suggested that Allen West would make a great pick and then backtracked on that recommendation. Other people such as Sarah Palin and Herman Cain have also endorsed Allen West. Allen West has stated that he would accept the invitation to be Mitt Romney's VP if asked.

Many people have talked about Virginia Govenor Bob McDonnell as being Mitt Romney's Vice President. Although, Governor McDonnell has down played talk of him being selected as Romney's running mate.

Paul Ryan has been widely discussed as Mitt's VP. Although people know Paul Ryan for his mastery of economic issues, he's equally powerful when it comes to foreign policy. Paul Ryan hasn't publicly denied a hypothetical offer from Mitt Romney but he's remained mostly quiet on the subject of being Romney's VP other than to say that the discussion hasn't been brought up by Mitt Romney and that he would think about it when the offer actually is presented to him.

There are a lot of good people on the list and most of them would be a great running mate for Mitt Romney. Personally, my list of who I would pick for Mitt's running mate would be quite short. I personally like Paul Ryan, John Kasich, Rob Portman, Nikki Haley, Bob McDonnell, Allen West and Condoleezza Rice. There are others who I know will not make a good running mate for Mitt Romney and as a result, they are probably not on Mitt's short list. Those people are Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Mitch Daniel. 

Who ever Mitt Romney picks, the vetting process will be much more intense than in the past due to the shoddy vetting process the McCain team did with Sarah Palin. However, I am confident that Mitt Romney will make the right choice. It will be someone who will be just as equally competent in leading the country as Mitt Romney is, who will work well with the President and with Congress in passing the necessary laws, who can help Mitt win the necessary votes needed to win the election and who can go one on one with Biden in a debate.   

I am excited for Mitt Romney's running mate and I can't wait for Mitt to make his announcement. I suspect that Mitt Romney will make his announcement shortly before the Republican convention in Florida. Whoever Mitt picks, it will be a good choice for America.

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