Is Ohio Senator Rob Portman the leading contender for Romney's VP?

By Richard K. Barry

Rob Portman and Mitt Romney

According to one report, a consensus amongst influential Republicans is starting to form around Ohio Senator Rob Portman for Romney's VP choice.

As BuzzFeed tells it:

In an informal survey of more than half of the Republican State Chairmen and national committee people at this weekend’s State Chairman meeting at a resort here (Scottsdale, Arizona), two-thirds said they believe Portman is the most-likely and best-qualified running-mate for Mitt Romney.

Portman's credentials include the fact that he is a former Congressman from the Cincinnati area, was the director of the Office of Management and Budget during the George W. Bush Administration, and was elected to the Senate in 2010.

Presumably Portman's bona fides as an economy guy in the "W" administration are supposed to be a good thing for Romney. Not sure about that.

The funniest part, though, comes in a couple of comments about Portman by Republican national committee people at the meeting:

“He’s not going to be Palin — he’s not going to be fighting to get in front of cameras, [Portman] knows his place,” said one Midwestern committeeman. 

“He was born to be the guy standing next to the guy,” said another member. “He’s the type of guy who ran for vice president of his high school student council.”

I love that line: "He's was born to be the guy standing next to the guy." Let's face it, Romney will have to do some real hunting to find a running-mate who won't overshadow him. Looks like he may have found what he needs.

Big yawn.

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)