Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell will run positive ads TV ads in the coming weeks to bolster his approval rating, reports the Washington Post.
McDonnell’s March approval rating was 53 percent, according to Quinnipiac University polling, a 5-point drop from the month before. McDonnell’s popularity might have taken a hit when he backed the state’s controversial mandatory ultrasound legislation for women seeking an abortion.
Due to term limits, McDonnell is not eligible for a second term as governor, which raises speculation that the governor is hoping Mitt Romney picks him to be his running mate. While many prospective VP choices, like Marco Rubio and Chris Christie say they prefer to keep their current gigs, McDonnell has said he’d be “very interested” in the position:
I’d be very interested. It is a swing state. I’m not asking for the call. I’m not looking for the call. As I’ve said many times, I’ve got the best job in America. But I think anybody who is in public life, if a presidential nominee called him and said, ‘I need your help to win,’ it would be a tremendous honor. … We’ll see. It’s going to be seven, eight, nine months before any of these decisions are made.
McDonnell’s PAC, Opportunity Virginia, is paying for the ads but they have not yet been filmed and airtime has not been reserved, according to the Post.
