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This article lists possible candidates for the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 2012 election. On May 29, 2012, former Governor Mitt Romney of Massachusetts won a majority of pledged delegates for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, and became the presumptive nominee.
Contents
- Selection process
- Short list
- Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates
- The announcement
- References
On August 11, 2012, Romney officially announced his selection of Paul Ryan as his running-mate to supporters via an iPhone app, though the selection of Ryan had already leaked to the press hours before the official announcement. Ryan was the first individual from Wisconsin to appear on a major party's national ticket, although third party presidential candidate Robert La Follette won 16% of the popular vote in the 1924 presidential election. The Romney-Ryan ticket ultimately lost in the general election to the Obama-Biden ticket, but the defeat did not harm Ryan's career; in 2015, Ryan was elected as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Selection process
Romney asked Beth Meyers, an aide, to head up the search team for selecting a vice presidential candidate. It was speculated that Romney might announce his running mate in July to create early enthusiasm and boost fundraising, but this proved untrue. Romney stated that he would select a pro-life vice presidential candidate.
Short list
According to the book Double Down, Romney's campaign narrowed down his list of potential nominees for Vice President to eleven individuals in April 2012:
The list was later further narrowed down to five individuals: Christie, Pawlenty, Portman, Rubio, and Ryan. According to Double Down, many on Romney's campaign favored Ryan because he was "young, telegenic, Irish Catholic, with blue collar appeal," and could potentially help the campaign in his competitive home state. Romney also personally liked Ryan and felt comfortable campaigning with him. Christie was also strongly considered, but the vetting process raised several issues.
Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates
Political analyst Larry Sabato stated that Romney could pick a vice presidential running mate that would help electorally such as by delivering a swing state or a demographic group. Romney's associates suggested the VP pick was likely to be someone mild-mannered with high integrity and have a similar aptitude for analysis. Media speculation and analysis on vice presidential picks included:
The announcement
Having returned from his overseas tour of the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland, Romney planned a bus tour of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida with his then-yet to be announced running mate. It was possible that Romney could have chosen to stall his announcement until at least August 12, the last day of the Summer Olympics, in order to attract greater media and voter attention while still allowing time for campaigning and fundraising before the Republican National Convention, which would begin on August 27.
On August 10, 2012, it was announced that Romney would introduce his running mate on August 11, 2012 in Norfolk, Virginia, after touring the USS Wisconsin, leading several news sources to speculate that his choice would be U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. Shortly after 7 a.m. on August 11, the Romney campaign officially announced Ryan as its choice for Vice President through its mobile app titled "Mitt's VP".