This article lists possible candidates for the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in the

2012 election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

. On May 29, 2012, former Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

of Massachusetts won the 2012 Republican nomination for President of the United States, and became the presumptive nominee. On August 11, 2012, Romney officially announced his selection of Wisconsin Representative

Paul Ryan Paul Davis Ryan (born January 29, 1970) is an American former politician who served as the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 54th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019. A member o ...

as his running-mate to supporters via an iPhone app, though the selection of Ryan had already leaked to the press hours before the official announcement. Ryan was the first individual from Wisconsin to appear on a major party's national ticket, although third-party presidential candidate Robert La Follette won 16% of the popular vote in the 1924 election. The Romney–Ryan ticket ultimately lost in the general election to the Obama– Biden ticket, but the defeat did not harm either of their careers; from 2015 to 2019, Ryan served as

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

while Romney, having moved to Utah, has been in the United States Senate since 2019.

Selection process

Romney asked Beth Meyers, an aide, to head up the search team for selecting a vice presidential candidate. It was speculated that Romney might announce his running mate in July to create early enthusiasm and boost fundraising, but this proved untrue. Romney stated that he would select a pro-life vice presidential candidate.

Short list

According to the book '' Double Down'', Romney's campaign narrowed down his list of potential nominees for vice president to eleven individuals in April 2012: File:Kelly Ayotte, Official Portrait, 112th Congress 2 (cropped).jpg, File:Chris Christie at townhall.jpg, File:John Cornyn official portrait, 2009 crop.jpg, File:Mitch Daniels.jpg, File:Bill Frist official photo (cropped).jpg, File:Mike Huckabee by Gage Skidmore 6.jpg, File:Bob McDonnell by Gage Skidmore.jpg, File:Tim Pawlenty CPAC 2011.JPG, File:Rob Portman official portrait (cropped).jpg, File:Marcorubio2.jpg, File:Paul Ryan official portrait.jpg, The list was later further narrowed down to five individuals: Christie, Pawlenty, Portman, Rubio, and Ryan. According to ''Double Down'', many on Romney's campaign favored Ryan because he was "young, telegenic, Irish Catholic, with blue collar appeal," and could potentially help the campaign in his competitive home state. Romney also personally liked Ryan and felt comfortable campaigning with him. Christie was also strongly considered, but the vetting process raised several issues.

Media speculation on possible vice presidential candidates

Political analyst Larry Sabato stated that Romney could pick a vice presidential running mate that would help electorally such as by delivering a swing state or a demographic group.Mitt Romney's possible running mates
. Xfinity News, ''Comcast.net'' April 2012. Romney's associates suggested the VP pick was likely to be someone mild-mannered with high integrity and have a similar aptitude for analysis.Shroeder, Peter (April 25, 2012
Romney will pick mini-Mitt for VP, his Bain Capital hires suggest
Media speculation and analysis on vice presidential picks included:

Members of Congress

File:Kelly Ayotte, Official Portrait, 112th Congress 1.jpg, File:John Cornyn official senate portrait.jpg, File:Jim DeMint headshot.jpg, File:Bill Frist official photo (cropped).jpg, File:Rand Paul, official portrait, 112th Congress.jpg, File:Rob Portman official portrait (cropped).jpg, File:Marcorubio2.jpg, File:Paul Ryan official portrait.jpg, File:Pat Toomey official photo.jpg, File:Rick Santorum (6184426000).jpg, File:John Thune, official portrait, 111th Congress (cropped1).jpg,

Governors

File:World Affairs Council Jeb Bush.JPG, File:Chris Christie at townhall.jpg, File:Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.jpg, File:Nikki Haley official portrait.jpg, File:Mike Huckabee (17697759541) (cropped).jpg, File:Bobby Jindal August 2015.jpg, File:Governor John Kasich (cropped2).jpg, File:Governor NewMexico.jpg, File:Bob McDonnell (4379673749) (cropped).jpg, File:Tim Pawlenty by Gage Skidmore (cropped).jpg, File:Brian Sandoval 2010 (cropped).jpg, File:Rick Snyder in 2013.jpg,

Other Individuals

File:DCIA David Petraeus (cropped).jpg, File:Condoleezza Rice cropped.jpg, File:Donald Trump (29273256122) - Cropped.jpg,

The announcement

Having returned from his overseas tour of the United Kingdom, Israel, and Poland, Romney planned a bus tour of Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida with his then-yet to be announced running mate. It was possible that Romney could have chosen to stall his announcement until at least August 12, the last day of the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, in order to attract greater media and voter attention while still allowing time for campaigning and fundraising before the Republican National Convention, which would begin on August 27. On August 10, 2012, it was announced that Romney would introduce his running mate on August 11, 2012 in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, after touring the '' USS Wisconsin'', leading several news sources to speculate that his choice would be U.S. Representative

of Wisconsin. Shortly after 7 a.m. on August 11, the Romney campaign officially announced Ryan as its choice for vice president through its mobile app titled "Mitt's VP".

References

External links

The Romney campaign site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Republican Party vice presidential candidate selection, 2012 Mitt Romney 2012 presidential campaign Paul Ryan Vice presidency of the United States Chris Christie Marco Rubio Rand Paul Political career of Donald Trump Jeb Bush Rick Santorum John Kasich