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There’s never been a Floridian anywhere close to getting in the White House, and it appears Marco Rubio will not be running as vice president this year. Following earlier reports that he wasn’t even being seriously considered by Mitt Romney for the spot, bits of Romney’s supposed VP shortlist had leaked to the media. He’s expected to make an announcement relatively soon, but few outlets expect Rubio to get the call.
Reuters reports Romney should be making his running mate choice soon. Ohio senator Rob Portman, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal are the top names on the list. Though, the news agency did add Rubio to a larger list of other long-shot possibilities. The names of South Dakota senator John Thune and Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan have also been floated about.
However, an AP report this morning says Romney does list Rubio last among a handful of names. But it adds this tidbit toward the end:
Romney has emphasized experience as the most important attribute in a running mate. Careful and risk averse, he’s expected to make a relatively safe pick that won’t shake up the race or overshadow his candidacy.
Rubio, compared with the others, decidedly lacks experience, with less than two years on the national scene. Plus, his popularity in what’s left of Tea Party circles certainly overshadows Romney’s. In May, Politico reported that Rubio was not being thoroughly vetted by Romney and that the campaign was looking for “a boring white guy.” Little seems to have changed.
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