Florida has always been an important swing state to win, we all remember the cries of “recount!” from 2000, and Florida is going to play just as important a role in the upcoming 2012 general election. Carefully selecting a running mate is always an important decision and many are wondering who Romney will select and how they will benefit him in the swing states. Mitt Romney the inevitable Republican nominee is still rummaging through his fairly long, short list for Vice President, and a name that continues to be brought up is that of Marco Rubio. Senator Rubio has many qualities that would make him an ideal running mate, but could the appointment of a relatively inexperienced Vice President cause more division for Romney in the 2012 Presidential elections.
Winning over the Hispanic vote is essential, and while some would think putting Rubio on the ticket could help sway the much needed 2012 swing state votes especially in Florida and the Southwest states having Rubio on the ticket might be just as polarizing as it is beneficial. Rubio is a Cuban American and in recent political polls show that over half of Mexican Americans living in the Southwest have never even heard of him. Putting him on the presidential ticket only had around 20% of Mexican Americans considering voting Republican according to the latest polls. Rubio may not even be beneficial to Romney in Florida the state he represents. According to recent polls less than half of Floridians have a favorable opinion of Rubio. In Recent Obama vs. Romney polls adding Rubio onto the ballot didn’t help to boost Romney with the Hispanic vote, and was still shown to be in a dead heat with Obama. Also adding Rubio to the ticket may shift the attention too much to immigration when Republicans want the focus to remain on the economy. While Rubio has many supporters and is seen as a knowledgeable and poised individual Romney may want to play steer clear of running with a relative novice in the national race, this tactic backfired for McCain. Instead many are now pushing for Romney’s VP pick to come from another battleground state Ohio, placing Portman onto the national ticket could help boost Romney’s numbers in the 2012 Ohio polls a state that could be pivotal in the race to the white house. Romney’s decision is still up in the air however and he still has a long list of potentials to sift through.
