Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty are among a select number of vice presidential contenders being more intensively vetted by the Romney campaign, according to two Romney advisers, reports the Washington Post. The post also named Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as two others getting a more serious look.
The Post reports that Portman is the favorite:
But many Republicans close to Romney consider Portman to be the front-runner for the nod. The outside adviser to Romney said that as Romney’s team looks deeper into Portman, they find more appeal – including, the source added, that Portman speaks fluent Spanish.
“Anybody that scratches the surface a little bit on Portman starts liking him more and more the deeper they go,” the source said.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, despite being buzzed about as a top contender, has not received more than a preliminary review, nor has New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte or New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, according to the Post.
