Take the Mitt Romney VP poll – there’s Pawlenty of names from which to choose

­Punditty poll on Romney’s VP pick

July 25, 2012

Nothing says it’s the summer before a November presidential election like rampant speculation on vice presidential picks.

In 2008, American voters got a double dose of the fun as then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois went first, picking then-Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware to round out the Democratic ticket. Not long after the Democratic convention, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona made a surprise pick, choosing someone who was not widely known at the time but went on to become a household name: then-Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Unless a major shakeup awaits us, President Obama has decided to keep Vice President Biden on the ticket for his 2012 re-election bid, so we the people are left with only one VP guessing game: Who’s the best fit for Mitt? Romney, that is. No, make that Romney-Portman. Or Romney-Rubio. Or Romney-Rice. Or Romney-Pawlenty. Or any of the 17 names (plus “other”) to choose from in the poll. Punditty maintains that Romney’s best option is Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona.

With so many names being floated around, it makes sense to offer Allvoices readers a chance to participate in an online poll. True enough, MisterPoll does not command the Beltway clout of polls by, say, Gallup or Rasmussen, but as former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once said, “You go to war with the Army you have…”

Indeed.

So take the Punditty poll on Romney’s VP pick (open through Saturday, July 28) on Romney’s best option for the VP slot. That should get you in the proper political frame of mind for entering this segment of The American Pundit contest. The topic is on Romney’s VP selection:

Selecting a vice presidential running mate is often considered an early indicator of a presidential nominee’s decision-making. If presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney has not made a VP pick when you read this, whom should he pick and why? If he has already made the pick, do you think he made the right choice? Why or why not?

The author(s) of the best response(s) published July 16-31 will be awarded $250 each and will be eligible for the $5,000 grand prize. At least one winner on this topic will be chosen from articles submitted during the second half of July. In general, submissions should be 400 to 1,000 words.

Once again, the Punditty poll on Romney’s VP pick can be found here: http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/563693

Thanks for participating, and thanks for spreading the word about The American Pundit.

If you like to write about U.S. politics and Campaign 2012, enter "The American Pundit" competition. Allvoices is awarding four $250 prizes each month between now and November. These monthly winners earn eligibility for the $5,000 grand prize, to be awarded after the November election.

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