3 Auditioning to Be McCain's No. 2 Gain Qualified Backing
By JULIE BOSMAN
Published: May 23, 2008
As Senator John McCain prepared to meet this weekend with three potential running mates, state Republican leaders across the country on Thursday gave a tentative nod of approval to those prospects while pointing to the possible suitability of others and emphasizing that Mr. McCain needed to please the party's conservative base.
Many party officials said they could support those who will be meeting with Mr. McCain at his Arizona ranch: Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.
But they also cited other possibilities, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Indeed, though Mr. McCain's campaign has declined to comment on his vice-presidential search, his guests this weekend are just three among dozens of prospects believed to be on a rough list of his.
''I'm still perceiving a need to reassure his base,'' said Kris Kobach, the Kansas Republican chairman, one of the state party leaders interviewed Thursday. ''I think he has got to reassure conservatives that he respects the core principles of the Republican Party through this vice-presidential pick. I think that has to be the primary objective of his vice-presidential choice. He can't take conservative enthusiasm for granted.''
Party leaders said Mr. Crist, Mr. Jindal and Mr. Romney shared several qualities that many Republican officials hoped for in a No. 2 on the ticket. All are youthful and Washington outsiders, current or former state governors who would offer a balance to the age and 22-year Senate tenure of the 71-year-old Mr. McCain.
''I'm very pleased to see that they're all governors,'' said Saul Anuzis, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. ''There's been a sense that it would be great to get someone outside of Washington and to get a governor in that second spot.''
Mr. Romney in particular has emerged as a favorite among state party officials who met him during his failed campaign for the presidential nomination. Many said his fund-raising prowess, coupled with his high national profile and enthusiasm for long days of campaigning, would make him an attractive running mate.
He could also help woo voters in Michigan, his native state, and in the swing state of New Hampshire, and even give Republicans a shot in solidly Democratic Massachusetts, where Senator Barack Obama lost the Democratic primary.
''He's a great campaigner,'' said Robert A. Gleason Jr., the Pennsylvania Republican chairman. ''I think he would be dynamite, especially with his background in business and economic affairs.''
Doug McKinney, chairman of the West Virginia Republican Party, said Mr. McCain needed ''a pure conservative'' who was strong on the economy.
''He admittedly says that the economy is his weak point,'' Mr. McKinney said, ''so I think he needs to have somebody with a proven record on economics and how to manage a state.''
Some party officials rejected the idea of a running mate from an existing Republican stronghold like South Carolina or Texas, challenging the wisdom of choosing someone who might not add electoral muscle. In contrast, Mr. Crist was cited frequently as a candidate who could help deliver Florida, the swing state where he presides as governor.
''He's a twofer,'' said Mr. Gleason, noting that Mr. Crist was born in Altoona, Pa. ''When he's in Pennsylvania, we'll promote him as a Pennsylvanian, and when he's in Florida, he'll be a Floridian.''
Although the Republicans will face off against a historic Democratic nominee, having a minority member or a woman as Mr. McCain's running mate is ''not a priority,'' said Tom Wilson, the New Jersey Republican chairman.
''All those secondary qualities are nice,'' Mr. Wilson said, ''but they're deep down the list, in my book.''
Mr. Wilson suggested that if Mr. McCain did decide to choose a woman, he could turn to Carly Fiorina or Meg Whitman, former executives who are now advising the campaign.
Others pointed to a prominent black Republican, Michael Steele, the chairman of Gopac, which tries to groom Republican candidates.
''If we're worried about race being a question, Michael Steele is a brilliant guy, and no one would question his conservative credentials,'' said Mr. McKinney, of West Virginia.
Christopher C. Healy, the party chairman in Connecticut, said he believed that the importance of the vice-presidential nominee was overstated.
''It's a great parlor game we all play,'' Mr. Healy said. ''You look back at the Dan Quayle pick, and everybody thought that would be ruinous. And Michael Dukakis won 10 states.''
PHOTO: Senator John McCain attended a global competitiveness forum on Thursday in Union City, Calif. With him, from left, John T. Chambers, the chief executive of Cisco; Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; and Meg Whitman, former chief executive of eBay. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)