Ann Romney says pick for VP may be a woman

Mitt Romney walks in the Fourth of July parade in Wolfeboro, N.H., where he has been vacationing at the family's lakeside estate. In an interview, he declined to elaborate on the vice presidential search.
Mitt Romney walks in the Fourth of July parade in Wolfeboro, N.H., where he has been vacationing at the family's lakeside estate. In an interview, he declined to elaborate on the vice presidential search. (CHARLES DHARAPAK / Associated Press)
By Steve Peoples, Associated Press
Posted: July 06, 2012

WOLFEBORO, N.H. - Mitt Romney's wife has confirmed a tidbit about the vice presidential search process her husband largely has been keeping secret: He's considering choosing a woman.

"We've been looking at that, and I love that option as well," Ann Romney told CBS News in a joint interview with her husband that was broadcast Thursday. She added: "There's a lot of people that Mitt is considering right now."

The disclosure came as the Republican presidential candidate was vacationing with his family at their lakeside estate in Wolfeboro.

Officially, the campaign says Romney is doing what he's done for the last decade - enjoying family time during a weeklong holiday in New Hampshire. It's also a break from the campaign trail and a chance to relax before the pre-convention push. But unofficially, the bit of down time is a chance for the contemplative Romney to consider whom to tap for the No. 2 slot, how the campaign is going, and whether to adjust strategy in a contest that polls show is close.

Romney declined in the interview to describe the status of the vice presidential search, saying: "That's something I'm keeping close with my team."

Ann Romney sketched out her own requirements for what she'd like to see in a running mate, saying the person should be "someone that obviously can do the job but will be able to carry through with some of the other responsibilities." She said the person should be someone who will have her husband's back and who he will enjoy being around and have "the same personality type." She added: "Competent, capable and willing to serve this country. I think there's lots of good people out there that fill that bill right now."

Inside Republican circles, speculation also is high about whom Romney will choose, with his search well under way and his self-imposed deadline for picking someone "before the convention" looming large. It's the biggest decision he will make between now and when he accepts the GOP presidential nomination in late August.

Talk among GOP insiders has focused on men as likely top prospects, including Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Gov. Christie, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal.

But no less than a half-dozen other names also have popped up, including New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte - who walked in a July Fourth parade with Romney on Wednesday - as well as South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman.

It's been four years since Sen. John McCain chose then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a rock-ribbed conservative who was little known outside of her home state, to be the first female on a Republican presidential ticket as he sought a way to fire up the GOP's core supporters while narrowing Obama's advantage among women.

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