Mitt Romney says he’ll announce running mate Saturday morning
NORFOLK, Va. -- Mitt Romney will announce his running mate Saturday morning at an event at the retired military battleship the USS Wisconsin, the campaign announced late Friday.
It’s unclear who it will be, though several political observers are speculating that it is Wisconsin Rep. Paul D. Ryan. Other names making the rounds include Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Romney has kept his pick closely guarded, promising to reveal it by smartphone app. On Friday morning, when reporters asked whether the pick would be announced during Romney’s four-state battleground tour that kicks off Saturday, a senior advisor demurred.
“The governor keeps really close counsel on that and I have no guidance,” Eric Fehrnstrom told reporters in Boston. Later, Beth Myers, the Romney confidante who was running the VP search, seemed obviously relaxed on the campaign plane with Romney, sitting with bare feet near the presumptive GOP nominee.
Hours later, close to midnight Eastern time, the campaign sent out a press release confirming Romney’s planned announcement.
Romney planned to tour the ship and then announce his running mate. From there, he’ll visit a pie shop in Ashland, followed by rallies there and in Manassas.
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