Last week most people would have put their money on either Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty or Ohio Sen. Rob Portman for Romney’s vice-presidential pick. But this week it seems Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is back in the mix and speculation surrounding him was at a high Monday:
-The Romney campaign confirmed Monday that Gov. McDonnell would join Romney on his Virginia stops of his bus tour. Portman will similarly join Romney in Ohio.
-Romney tweeted an op-ed that McDonnell wrote for the Richmond Times-Dispatch Monday. “Great Op-Ed from @BobMcDonnell – The greatness of America was built on working to overcome hardship”
-Jennifer Rubin, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, wrote that McDonnell, who has an approval rating over 60 percent in his state and significant military experience, may just be considered for the number 2 spot.
"Oh, and McDonnell has a total of 21 years in the U.S. Army active and reserve service. He’d be the only one of the four on the presidential tickets with a military background. Just saying."
-Ryan Nobles of NBC 12 in Richmond points out that the web site, “in trade,” an online market that allows people to make real financial bets on real world situations, to nearly 7 percent, a big increase in the last 24 hours.
Both Romney and McDonnell are remaining mum on the issue, so it’s still anyone’s guess until the big announcement, which could be just days away.
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IN OTHER NEWS
* Maryland Live! casino reported profits of $35.4 million in July, its second month of operation, but the smaller Perryville Casino only generated $6.9 million last month, a decrease of nearly one-third fom July 2011.
* Fairfax County Executive Edward L. Long Jr. told county employees in a memo Monday that spending cuts are necessary because of uncertainty over federal spending and warned that jobs may be cut in 2013-2014.
* Gov McDonnell will sign a bill in Virginia Beach Tuesday that would make ignition interlock systems mandatory for first-time DUI convictions.
* The board overseeing the $6 billion Dulles Rail project hired two former board members to act as lobbyists even though the authority already has two full-time staff members handling its government relations, The Washington Examiner reported.
* Chair of D.C.’s Taxicab commission Ron Linton talked with the Post’s Mike DeBonis about the future of cabs and said “don’t think five years from now you’ll find very many people standing out on a street trying to hail a cab.”
* The Virginia Board of Elections says it is seeking an investigation into ballot signatures involving the campaign of Constitution Party presidential candidate Virgil Goode.
* According to the Associated Press, staffers for D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray have sought the advice of crisis-management expert Judy Smith, the same crisis-management expert who advised Monica Lewinsky and inspired the TV drama "Scandal."
