Mitch Daniels: No One Should Rule Out VP Bid

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) said no one should ever turn down an offer for the vice presidential nomination, which is why he hopes no one ever asks him to join the national ticket.

“The one thing I don’t think you should say is, if asked to serve the country, ‘No’. I don’t think anybody should say that,” Daniels said in a wide-ranging interview with Roll Call.  “But other than that, [I] don’t want to, don’t intend to, hope not to,  don’t expect to, and I think there are better choices.”

Days after Mitt Romney became the GOP’s presumptive nominee for president, several of the most-mentioned vice presidential contenders told media outlets that they’re not interested in the gig — statements widely interpreted by insiders as political deflection. Daniels came close to shutting the door himself last weekend, telling “Fox News Sunday” that, if asked to be Romney’s running mate, he’d urge the White House hopeful to reconsider.

But on Wednesday afternoon, during an interview with Roll Call in his expansive office at the state Capitol, Daniels explained his own ambitions in more detail.

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Paul Ryan Endorses Mitt Romney

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) became the 93rd Member to endorse Mitt Romney this morning.

In an interview with “Fox & Friends,” Ryan stressed Romney’s capacity to serve as president and his electability.

“I believe he’s the right person for the job, and I think this primary has been productive. I think it’s been constructive up till now,” he said. “I think it’s made the candidates better, but I think we’re entering a phase where it could become counter-productive if this drags on much longer.” Full story

Rubio: Convention Fight ‘Recipe for Disaster’

(Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Sen. Marco Rubio said all of the things you’d expect in a TV interview explaining his decision to back Mitt Romney for president.

The Florida Republican said Romney offers “such a stark contrast” to President Barack Obama’s record, adding that “I have zero doubt in my mind that Mitt Romney will govern as a conservative.”

But it’s what else Rubio said during the interview on Fox’s “Hannity” that caught my attention. Rubio appeared to set about very purposely to shoot down the notion — currently being promoted by former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) and ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (Pa.) — that a contested or brokered nominating convention would be good for the Republican Party’s chances of defeating Obama on Nov. 6.

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Marco Rubio Endorses Mitt Romney

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Nearly two months after the Florida primary, Sen. Marco Rubio endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

In an appearance on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox, the first-term Florida Republican said Romney had “earned this nomination” and criticized talk of an open convention.

“I think that’s a recipe for delivering four more years of Barack Obama,” he said.

As a Hispanic lawmaker from a key swing state, Rubio has been discussed as a vice presidential candidate since he won election to the Senate in 2010. Full story