Now that we’ve looked at the Democrats, it’s time to turn our attention to the Republicans.

Mitt Romney – Often touted as being on the “short list,” Romney is well known on the national scene following the three-way race between himself, McCain, and Mike Huckabee during the Republican Primary.  Being a Republican from a Democratic state, and the son of a popular Governor of Michigan, Romney’s resume would fit with McCain’s persona of working with the left and being popular in non-traditional Republican states.  The drawback would be the vast amount of video tape from the primaries with the two candidates bickering back and forth.

Mike Huckabee – In my view, Huckabee is the oral-equivellent to Obama.  His personnality and experience as a Minister makes him very engaging with the public and speaks from the heart.  Coming in second in the delegate count during the primaries, he would go a long way with pulling in the base and evangelical movements into the McCain camp; a segment that McCain is struggling with.  The problem with him is some of his historical comments on the role of women in the household and the bad joke at the NRA meeting claiming that the noise in the background was Obama trying to hide since someone pointed a gun at him. 

Tim Pawlenty – Also being a Republican Governor in a Democratic state, he won re-election in a tough election year for the Republican party.  This shows some cross-party apeal that might help bolster McCain on the national level.  His youth and comfort in front of a crowd will also help improve the impression of the McCain campaign.  While he probably won’t swing Minnesota to McCain, he could cause the Obama campaign to spend more time and resources in that state which could have been used in other close states.  His biggest drawback is the lack of national name recognition that Huckabee and Romney have.

Joe Lieberman – The Maverick ticket.  While being 99% Democrat on all his votes in the Senate, his support for the Iraq war won him the rejection of party Democrats in Connecticut during the primaries for re-election.  However, with support of Independents and Republicans in the state (as well as loyal Democratic supporters), he won re-election as an Independent.  This put a larger thorn in the side of core Democrats, making him a darling for the Republican party.  Sharing McCain’s stance on the war has led him to become McCain’s shadow on many trips to the Middle East.  However, having him on the ticket risks alienating enough Republican voters that might cost McCain the election.

Bobby Jindal – The Republican Obama.  Jindal would instantly quell some of the irrational attention given to Obama based solely on race and the historical aspect thereof.  He has some other positives in his life, including being a Rhode Scholar (to help with the educated population), a convert from Hinduism to Catholisism (to help with the evangelicals), and a professional consultant (to help with the economic conservatives).  He also assisted in turning around the failing Louisiana healthcare system when he was Secretery of Health and Hospitals (before becoming Governor).  His primary drawback is his age, strange as that may sound.  He is younger than Obama; a point that McCain surrogates tend to use against his challenger.

Charlie Crist – If there was any way to avoid a repeat of the 2000 election, Crist is that option.  Being a popular Governor of Florida (taking over for another popular Republican Governor), Crist’s endorsement of McCain during the primaries played a major role in dicating the outcome.  Rudy Giuliani was favored to win the state, but Crist’s endorsement swayed enough of the electorate behind McCain. 

Tom Ridge – The Security Ticket.  If McCain wants to solidify his campaign around national security, Ridge would be the ideal pick.  He was tapped to be the first Secretery of Homeland Security following 9/11.  Also being a popular ex-Governor of Pennsylvania would put the swing state (and all the electoral votes) in play, and with a close election, it would be enough to tap the scales especially if McCain carries Florida.  The drawback is his stance on abortion, making McCain’s rocky relationship with the evangelicals even more shaky.

Lindsey Graham – Second to Lieberman, Graham would create a moderate ticket when linked with McCain.  While still caucussing with the Republicans, Graham has often taken liberal stances on some more conservative issues.  This could risk suppressing the Republican turnout during the election.  However, he has a good reputation of working within the Senate to get things done, and that might help the ticket when combined with McCain’s willingness to work with others.

Rob Portman – Portman is an accomplished Ohio Congressman and director of the Office of Budget Management, making him an ideal choice to help secure the battleground state as well as aid in the economic knowledge gap currently facing the McCain ticket.  Unfortunately, he served during the Bush administration, making him an easy target for the Obama camp to use the anti-Bush movement within the Democrat base and with some Independents.

John Thune – Though popular within Republican circles, his lack of national recognition could potentially hurt the ticket.  His age and popularity helps to balance out some of the influence Obama has over the general public, but the amount of resources it would take to introduce the Senator from South Dakota might put unnecessary strain on the McCain campaign.

Of the ten above, I think the best picks for McCain would be Pawlenty and Romney.  Both are popular figures and will fill in holes in the McCain campaign.  Jindal would also be an interesting choice, but there could be a backlash of McCain “just trying to put a minority on the ticket.”

I hope these two articles give you some information on the 20 most-likely VP choices facing the Obama and McCain campaigns.  Stay tuned to stay informed.

Related articles:
The Law of Politics – “Cheaper Oil and Gas prices when McCain picks VP”
Carnival of Politics – “McCain and Romney, now that’s the ticket by Marie Jon”

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