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 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is named McCain's running mate |
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Tim Pawlenty ★ top contender
Pros: A popular governor, he could help McCain win Minnesota and maybe Wisconsin. Cons: He has been criticized by some on the right who say that his record – which includes the implementation of a "health impact fee" on cigarettes to help balance the state's budget – is not in line with conservative values.
Rob Portman ★ top contender
Pros: Well-liked by the conservative establishment, he could help McCain win Ohio. Cons: Choosing a former Bush administration official would make it harder for McCain to distance himself from the current administration.
Mitt Romney ★ top contender
Pros: Well-liked among conservatives, his business experience could strengthen the ticket. Cons: He had a frosty relationship with McCain during the primaries, though they've since made amends.
Pros: A fiscal conservative, he could help McCain in Florida -- a state that seems likely to be crucial to winning the general election. Cons: His support of Roe vs. Wade, civil unions and stem cell research troubles some conservatives.
Pros: The former business executive could help draw female voters. Cons: She has no political experience, and was forced out as chairwoman and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard in 2005 because of the company's poor performance.
Pros: A good friend of McCain's who has lots of experience campaigning, he is well-respected and has proved he can work with Democrats. Cons: The right sometimes complains that he isn't conservative enough.
Pros: A Baptist minister, he would help drum up support from evangelicals. Cons: After he won the Iowa primary, his campaign for the Republican nomination foundered.
Pros: He has led Utah during a period of remarkable economic growth. Cons: His state already votes Republican, so he can't be expected to bring in new support.
Pros: The longest-serving female Republican senator, she has proved in the past to be very good at reaching Latino voters. Cons: She supports embryonic stem cell research and is relatively moderate on abortion, which might alienate conservatives.
Pros: His reputation as a conservative would reassure the nervous Republican Party base. He would make history as the first Indian American on a national ticket. Cons: The nation's youngest governor at 37, he may be seen as too green. Besides, he has said that the No. 2 spot on the ticket would not be for him.
Pros: He's a close friend and ally of McCain, and a veteran of the campaign trail. Cons: The independent is a former Democrat, and he supports abortion rights -- so his selection would not be much of an olive branch to party stalwarts.
Pros: A former governor of Pennsylvania, he could help McCain in that state, which is in play this year. As a moderately conservative Catholic, he could help with independent voters in other states. Cons: His support of abortion rights could hurt his appeal to the GOP base, and he too is a former Bush administration official.
Pros: A strong fiscal conservative, he is popular with party stalwarts. Cons: Although he supported McCain in 2000, he didn't during the 2008 primaries, which means the two may have some making up to do.
Pros: Admired for his 2004 victory against then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, he is well-liked by social conservatives, a population McCain needs to win over. Cons: McCain would probably win South Dakota even without him on the ticket, and Thune is known for his earmarking, a practice McCain abhors.
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