The veepstakes have begun. Earlier this week, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announced the
search for his vice presidential nominee would be led by former chief of staff and confidante Beth Myers, as reported by The New York Times.
With the general election in November likely to be close and Romney having concerns with shoring up
the conservative base of the GOP, picking the right No. 2 could be the difference between winning and
losing.

Speaking of No. 2, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has so far declined to endorse Romney,
telling supporters Monday night to make their own decisions on who to vote for. After all the back and
forth vitriol between the two, it’s easy to dismiss Santorum’s chances at the VP slot. I’m not so sure. More
on him later.

So who should Mitt pick? Let’s take a look at some of the contestants, ranked in order of their current
chances to be the pick, according to Intrade.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.: 19 percent

CNN noted Rubio said he’s not going to be the guy, but when considering the criteria usually cited for picking a vice
presidential nominee, Rubio seems like a great pick. While there’s probably a decent chunk of the
electorate who is never going to come around to the idea of Mitt Romney as the head of the party,
picking a Tea Party darling like Marco Rubio could reassure reluctant conservatives. And clearly, as he
himself admitted to a group of donors earlier this week, Romney is going to have to make up ground with
Hispanics. Putting Rubio on the ticket would help. And did I mention he’s from Florida? However, I’m not
sure he’s experienced enough to be second-in-command.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio: 16 percent

Who? The junior senator from Ohio does not exactly have the gravitas of, well, pretty much anybody else
on this list. But he’s not trending up for no reason. According to The Atlantic, Romney has a close relationship with the former director of the Office of Management and Budget, and his resume ain’t
bad, either. Portman spent a decade in the House before working in the Bush administration on trade and
economic issues. Boring, but safe pick who would stay on message.

Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J.: 11 percent

Say what you will about Christie, but he certainly isn’t boring. This pick would definitely generate enthusiasm, maybe even to the point of overshadowing Romney.
Christie has the reputation for being a bit of a loose cannon, which is a gamble. But he is one letter away
from having “Christ,” who has a favorability rating among Republicans second only to Ronald Reagan, in his name twice.

Gov. Bob McDonnell, R-Va.: 7 percent

Another pick barely registering on the name recognition scale, but the current governor of swing-state
Virginia might not be a bad choice. His extensive military experience would also be a nice complement to
the economic background of Romney.

Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.: 6 percent

Few have been talked about in conjunction with Romney as much as Ryan (Dems have taken to calling Ryan’s budget
the “Ryan/Romney” plan), but this isn’t going to happen. Romney really has nothing to gain from putting
Ryan on the ticket, and I’m not even sure it would guarantee Romney Wisconsin.

Gov. Mitch Daniels, R-Ind.: 6 percent

Similar pick to Rob Portman, but he doesn’t have the personal ties to Romney. An economic powerhouse who is the former head of the Office of Management and Budget, Daniels considered a run for the
presidency earlier this year. If Obama wins this fall, look for Daniels to run in 2016.

Rick Santorum: 2 percent

Despite the often-heated primary, I think Santorum has a better shot at being the pick than people think.
Santorum has a lot of support from the far right (Romney has none), and his home state of Pennsylvania is going to be crucial to win. He’s a long shot, but better than 2 percent in my opinion.

There’s really no science to picking a VP. Since the founders blessed us with the Electoral College, one
school of thought says to pick a VP who can win you an important state. Others recommend picking somebody who can cover up your shortcomings, whether on policy or demographic groups. And still
others believe the VP should be a “game changer,” somebody that will get people talking. I highly doubt
Romney is going the game-changer route.

My guess is he goes with somebody who actually knows what
the Bush Doctrine is and is able to articulate what newspapers he/she reads. If I were a betting man –
and I am – I’d put my money on Portman, given his personal relationship with Romney and the safe
nature of the pick. This election will be a referendum on Obama, and the last thing Romney needs is
anybody “Going Rogue.”

Zach Butzler ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism and political science.