Analyzing the Republican Vice-Presidential Candidates
With the announcemnt coming, by most accounts, on Friday, let’s take look at the contenders.
Mitt Romney
Born: March 12, 1947 (61 years old)
Family: Married to his high-school sweetheart, the former Ann Davies, since 1969. The couple has five children. Romney’s father, George was governor of Michigan and served in Richard Nixon’s cabinet
Education: B.A. Brigham Young University 1971 and M.B.A. Harvard Business School 1975 and J.D. Harvard Law School 1975
Non-Political Career: Boston Consulting Group, Vice-President and CEO (2 stints) Bain & Company, Founder Bain Capital — all private equity firms; CEO of 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee
Political Career: Lost 1994 Massachusetts Senate Election to Ted Kennedy by a 58-41 margin. Won 2002 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election by a 50-45 margin. Served four years; did not seek a second term in order to run for the Republican Presidential Nomination. Lost the nomination to John McCain, withrdrawing from the race in February, 2008 and endorsing McCain.
Pros: Popular with fiscal conservatives; strong economic background; strong ties to several battleground states, including Michigan, Colorado, and Nevada.
Cons: Mormon faith turns off some evangelicals; will be painted as a “job-slasher” for his role in private equity activities
Tim Pawlenty
Born: November 27, 1960 (47 years old)
Family: Married to the former Mary Anderson, whom he met in law school, since 1987. The couple has two daughers.
Education: B.A. University of Minnesota 1983 and J.D. University of Minnesota Law Shool 1986
Non-Political Career: Rider Bennett — labor law attorney; Vice-President Wizmo Consulting Group
Political Career: Won 1989 election to city council in Eagan, Minnesota; won election to Minnesota State House of Representatives in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2000. Won a hotly-contested gubernatorial election in 2002 by a 7-point margin; he won re-election in 2006 by only 1%.
Pros: Minnesota is a battleground state; he, like McCain is a bit of a political maverick; he and McCain are good friends and have worked together on the campaign for 8 months
Cons: He, like McCain, is a bit of a political maverick; lacks national name recognition
Tom Ridge
Born: August 27, 1945 (62 years old)
Family: Married to Michele Ridge since 1979. The couple has two children.
Education: B.A. Harvard College 1967 and J.D. Dickinson Law School, 1972
Non-Political Career: Private law practice 1972-1980. Currently serves on the Board of Directors of Home Depot, Savi Technology, and Hershey’s.
Political Career: District Attorney of Erie County, PA 1980-1982; won 7 straight terms to the U.S. House, serving from 1982-1994, when he won the Pennsylvania gubernatorial election. He won re-election in 1998. He resigned in 2001 to become the Director of Homeland Security, then Secretary of Homeland Security. He resigned in 2004 to “give personal and family matters a higher priority.”
Pros: Pennsylvania could become a battleground state; he, like McCain is a bit of a political maverick; seems to be McCain’s favorite for the position
Cons: is pro-choice, which risks further alienating the party’s base
There are certainly others that could be under consideration, including Connecticutt Senator Joe Lieberman, General David Patraeus, and Meg Whitman, among others, but I will be shocked if it is not one of the three above. In fact, I will be shocked if it is not Mitt Romney.