Indiana Gov Squashes VP Speculation

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said Sunday that if Mitt Romney asked him to be his running mate that he would “demand reconsideration” and send a list of people who “could suit better.” But he declined to say what names would be on that list.

“There is a lot of talent in the Republican Party,” Daniels told Chris Wallace on Fox News yesterday (April 22). “A lot of new governors and young legislators have joined our ranks in the last few — just few years. And I think he has a wide range of people to pick from. I have full confidence he’ll find the best one,” Daniels said. 

Daniels, who some in the GOP had urged to run for president, gave his endorsement to Romney just last week. “I promised the people of my state eight full years, and I like living up to that commitment,” he said.

Daniels is not the only governor considered on the short list who is declaring his disinterest in the job. As Stateline has reported, New Mexico’s Susana Martinez, in her second year as governor, has said the same thing. “I’m totally, completely focused on being governor and fulfilling my promises,” according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. “It’s humbling, but I’m not interested,” she said. Similar comments came from South Carolina’s Nikki Haley. Other Republican governors named as possible running mates are Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal, New Jersey’s Chris Christie and Virginia’s Bob McDonnell. 

As The Washington Post reported last week, it’s not uncommon for politicians to say they don’t want the vice president job and then take it. “The first unwritten notion about the “veepstakes” is that the American vice presidency is like a bronze medal or a day-old doughnut: Sure, you might enjoy having it. But it is considered unseemly to want it.”