Paul Ryan

Mitt Romney's Possible Running Mates

Ryan, a Congressman from Wisconsin since 1999, is popular among conservatives for his recent budget proposals that would reduce spending and the deficit and is an oft-mentioned possible VP candidate.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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Mitt Romney's Ch... Most think that John McCain made a mistake choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate in 2008. Now that Mitt Romney is all but assured of the Republican nomination for president, who will he select as his vice presidential candidate?

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

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Bob McDonnell The Virginia governor would give Romney, whose home state is Massachusetts, a VP from the south. Obama won Virginia in 2008; the state now has 13 electoral votes.

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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Chris Christie New Jersey's governor may be divisive in Jersey but he's wildly popular among conservatives nationally. Christie flirted with a presidential run and endorsed Romney early on in the campaign.

(AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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Paul Ryan Ryan, a Congressman from Wisconsin since 1999, is popular among conservatives for his recent budget proposals that would reduce spending and the deficit and is an oft-mentioned possible VP candidate.

(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Rob Portman Portman isn't incredibly well-known outside his home state. But that state is Ohio, a volatile swing state with 18 electoral votes. Obama won it in 2008 while Bush took it in 2000 and 2004. A running mate from a swing state could tip the election.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

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John Thune Despite coming from a small state, the South Dakota senator was mentioned as a possible running mate for John McCain in 2008 before Sarah Palin was chosen. He defeated the popular Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in 2004 and ran unoppposed two years ago. He's popular in his home state and only 51.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

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Tim Pawlenty The former Minnesota governor ran for president, but dropped out after finishing third (behind Michele Bachmann, the winner, and Ron Paul) in the Ames Straw Poll in August. He endorsed Romney in September.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Bobby Jindal A rising star in the Republican party, the 40-year-old governor of Louisiana was also a possible John McCain running mate in 2008. A child of immigrants from India, Jindal was given a prime-time speech slot at the 2008 Republican National Convention and would provide a southern complement to the Northeastern presidential candidate.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Marco Rubio The Florida senator says he will not be Mitt Romney's running mate, but the campaign may still try to woo him. He would shore up Romney's support among Latino voters and could also help deliver the Southern vote.

(AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari, File)

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Rick Snyder The Michigan governor is relatively popular in a state that Obama won in 2008 and has 16 delegates. He has a similar corporate background to Mitt Romney, though -- he is the co-founder of venture capital firm Ardesta LLC and served as chariman of the board of Gateway -- and the campaign may look elsewhere.

(AP Photo/Al Goldis)

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Donald Trump Would Mitt Romney actually pick Donald Trump to be his running mate? Who knows, but he's currently on the "possible vice presidential picks" section of the Romney campaign's Wikipedia page! >
Susana Martinez Some think Romney could pick up Latino and women voters - groups the GOP candidate badly needs - by choosing New Mexico governor Susana Martinez. Others argue that she too closely resembles Sarah Palin, something that could cost Romney votes.

(AP Photo)

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The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Rick Santorum Up until a few weeks before the Pennsylvania primary, Romney's only real challenge to the GOP nomination came in the form of Rick Santorum. With Santorum's campaign now suspended, speculation has turned to whether or not he will go for the VP seat. Santorum, however, was extremely critical during contested primaries and there may still be bad blood between the two.

(AP Photo)

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Nikki Haley South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (far right) has been talked about as a running mate who could help Romney attract Southern voters.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Mitch Daniels Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels declined to make a run for the GOP nomination in the presidential race, even though some republicans were clamoring for him to get in. He may join the race yet - as Romney's running mate.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Up-and-Coming Po... Click here to see the Republicans and Democrats to watch.