Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
(AP photo)
All eyes are now turning to John McCain as he prepares to announce his pick for vice president. Sources say McCain has made his selection and is informing that person tonight. McCain is expected to reveal his pick tomorrow at a campaign rally in Ohio.
Last week, news of Barack Obama's choice leaked hours before planned, but that hasn't happened so far with John McCain.
It's a short list for Republican vice president nominee: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, as is Mitt Romney, who held a rally for McCain yesterday in Las Vegas. But Dr. Kelly Patterson at the BYU Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy says they're not locks. "All those different candidates have strengths and weaknesses," he said.
In fact, he says of Mitt Romney's odds, "It would be Mitt Romney versus the field. I think of all the different candidates, he has the best chance of being selected."
Kirk Jowers, the director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, said, "I've always thought Romney makes the most sense." He points to Romney's economic experience as a big plus. It's an area where critics say McCain is weak.
Jowers also points to Romney's political pull in Michigan, Florida and Massachusetts as a positive. The cons against Romney include his previous relationship with McCain during the primary and his religion.
"There is a portion of the country, a portion of the evangelicals in particular, who seem anxious about it," Jowers said.
Utah's Sen. Bob Bennett echoes the idea of Romney being McCain's best bet. "Romney fills all the holes in McCain's resume," he said. But he says McCain's reputation for being unpredictable will have him guessing along with the rest of the country. "He may very well have something else on his mind, we'll just have to wait and see."
U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was also considered to be in the running but today told reporters McCain has not asked her and she has no plans to be in Ohio tomorrow.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
