With Mitt Romney’s eight-vote victory in Iowa and a strong lead in the New Hampshire polls, he may be on his way to wrapping up the Republican nomination by the end of January. But like John McCain, winning the Republican nomination doesn’t mean he’s won conservative support, which is the heartbeat of the Republican Party. At this point, the only way Romney can placate conservatives—and maybe even energize them—is by naming a conservative vice presidential running mate.
I have to say it pains me to write this. I have been able to vote for one president in my lifetime—Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. In every other presidential election since the 1970s I’ve mostly voted against the other candidate. It seems that a true conservative candidate is always just four more years away.
Conservatives remain suspicious of Romney, and with good reason. Whether it’s abortion, defense of marriage or health care reform, among other issues, his principles at times seem to be—how should we say it?—flexible.
It is true that conservatives will likely fall in line if Romney gets the nomination, because he would be so much better than President Obama and his disastrous policies. Romney would win their votes but not their hearts.
There is, however, a way for him to win both: by nominating a principled conservative to be his running mate. And if he gets the nomination, the sooner the better.
Once John McCain—that self-proclaimed “maverick” who liked to poke his finger in conservatives’ eyes—announced Sarah Palin, he ignited his lackluster and financially struggling campaign. Americans turned out in droves to see her, to the point that she could draw bigger crowds than he would—a discrepancy that was a little embarrassing. And conservatives opened up their heretofore closed wallets.
I fully expect Romney to do much better than McCain in his own right, both because his campaign organization seems to be very well staffed and managed, and because he is not the loose cannon McCain could be. But Romney still needs to energize the conservative base of the Republican Party and a conservative veep would help.
There have been rumors that Romney is interested in asking Senator Marco Rubio from the electoral-vote rich swing state of Florida—and conservatives would cheer that decision. Although Rubio has indicated he will not accept such an offer, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has pointed out that it’s very difficult to tell your country no.
Another conservative fave from Florida, Jeb Bush, is also a possibility. But one of Obama’s campaign themes is to not return to the “failed policies of the past.” Even though Jeb is not his brother George—most conservatives believe he would be much better—having a Bush on the ticket could give Obama’s slogan a little more street cred.
Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin would be a strong choice. Ryan was encouraged to run for the presidency and decided against it. But that doesn’t mean he would refuse a VP slot, and again conservatives would cheer.
What about Chris Christie? He would make an excellent VP—or president, for that matter. But two small-state northeasterners heading a party whose strength is in the south and heartland?
Perhaps one of the best VP options for Romney is the very person who gave him a run for his money in Iowa: Rick Santorum. Santorum is very popular among social conservatives, and has proven he can do well in a swing state like Iowa.
More importantly, having Santorum on the ticket might help sow up his home state of Pennsylvania. To be sure, Santorum lost his Senate seat in the 2006 anti-Bush election, but the state turned a little to the right in 2010 by electing a Republican governor and legislature—and could do so again in 2012. Obama needs Pennsylvania to win and Santorum could deny the president that state.
And unlike some of the other presidential candidates, Santorum has avoided saying incendiary things about Romney.
Remember in 1980 how then-presidential candidate George H.W. Bush attacked Ronald Reagan for his “voodoo economics”? And how Jack Kemp once described Bob Dole as “never having met a tax he didn’t hike”—riffing off the old Will Rogers quote about never having met a man he didn’t like. Both Bush and Kemp had to tap dance around those comments once they became VP nominees.
In a very unpredictable election year, strange things can happen; Romney may not get the nomination. But if he does conservatives should demand a like-minded vice president—and hope for a better choice in four or eight years … again.