As the battle for the Republican Presidential nomination heats up, speculation is beginning as to who the nominee’s running mate might be, and most of the attention is focusing on two Southerners, one in the US Senate, and one who is Governor.
Many are saying that newly elected Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is the front runner, with his good looks, his youth (40), Tea Party support, Hispanic heritage (Cuban), his speaking ability, and his representing the fourth largest state in population and electoral votes. Rubio, although only in the Senate for seven and a half months, had a distinguished career in the Florida House of Representatives, including being its Speaker, and knows how to raise money, and to appeal to Hispanic voters, a key voting bloc in Florida and elsewhere.
At the same time, Governor Bob McDonnell of Virginia appeals to many as a conservative who avoids controversy and direct connection to the Tea Party Movement, but saying and doing the right things to avoid antagonizing them or conservatives in general, and no one doubts his conservative credentials. He is handsome, well spoken, and represents a swing state, much like Florida, which is crucial to the Republican Party’s chances to win in 2012. McDonnell is also the present Chair of the Republican Governors Association, and is term limited to one term by Virginia state law, to the end of 2013, so would certainly be looking for a role beyond then, and the Vice Presidency would be very enticing!
Both Florida and Virginia went to Barack Obama in 2008, making both of them battlegrounds in 2012. So the odds seem good that either Rubio or McDonnell are the most likely VP nominees for whoever is the GOP nominee for President in 2012.