The Republican VP Contenders: The Conservatives

Former Rep. Rob Portman (Ohio)

Former Congressman Rob Portman of Ohio is a conservative superstar from a swing state who would burnish Sen. John McCain's image with the all-important bloc of Republican voters. But Portman is more than just a former Congressman. He has a resume that is the envy of just about every other fiscal conservative and potential McCain running mate. Portman served in the House for six terms, never receiving less than 72% of the vote in his conservative district. He was a member of both the Budget Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, the two main taxing and spending committees in Congress. He resigned when President Bush nominated him to the post of United States Trade Representative, which carries the rank of Ambassador. He served in that role until the President named him Director of the Office of Management and Budget, where he oversaw the Bush Administration's spending plans. He left that position in 2007 after one year on the job to return to private law practice.

Portman, 52, would be an ideal choice for Vice President and would help McCain with his perceived weakness on the economy and economic philosophy. He would also help the ticket in his native Ohio, where Democrats have been surging. No Republican has been elected to the presidency without winning Ohio. He is not very well known among the general public, which may be a liability, as might his close connections to the Bush Administration.

Rep. Mike Pence (Ind.)

Rep. Mike Pence is the well-respected, four-term, stalwart conservative Congressman from Indiana's sixth district. Pence is a former chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, the foremost conservative leadership position in the House of Representatives, if not the Republican Party. He is currently a member of the House Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees. Pence gave a stirring speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference, defending Sen. McCain to a lukewarm audience and delineating the differences between McCain and the Democrats on issues important to conservatives. He is both telegenic and eloquent, and has a speaking style that is authoritative. Pence is often mentioned as a future presidential candidate in is own right. Selecting Pence would instantly endear conservatives to McCain, who would be eager to get him started on a national career.

Pence, 48, counts immigration reform, campaign finance reform, farm policy, and protecting children online as his signature issues. The first of those issues presents a potential obstacle to his selection as a running mate. Pence's immigration proposal was forged in the heat of the uproar over Sen. McCain's comprehensive immigration reform plan, which Pence called amnesty. Pence's plan embraced the temporary worker program in McCain's approach, but it called for all illegal aliens to return to their home country first to be eligible to apply. Still, if Sen. McCain want to convince skeptical conservatives that he has learned a lesson from the contentious immigration debate, he could do no better than picking Pence as his running mate.

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Christopher Cox (CA)

Christopher Cox is the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal agency charged with regulating stock exchanges and brokerage houses. He was appointed to the position by President Bush in the summer of 2005 after serving for nine terms as a Congressman from California's forty-eighth district. In Congress, Cox developed a reputation as a Member of the highest integrity and ability, as well as one who could work across party lines to get legislation passed. Cox is the author of the Internet Tax Freedom Act of 1998. The law bans federal, state, and local taxation of internet access, e-mails, and bandwidth and is very popular with conservatives. Cox served for ten consecutive years as the Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, the fifth highest ranking position in the Republican leadership, a position that gave him great influence over Republican legislative strategy. There are few people with greater experience in conservative policy and legislating than Cox. Cox also has White House experience, serving as Senior Associate Counsel to the President in the last two years of the Reagan Administration. In that capacity, he played an advisory role in the nomination of three Supreme Court Justices.

Cox, 55, has an inspiring personal story as well that would compliment McCain's narrative as a prisoner of war. In 1978, Cox was involved in a Jeep accident in Hawaii that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He has since regained the ability to walk, through grit, determination, and steel rods, but remains in great pain daily. He is unable to sit for long periods of time, and so is known to work standing. Cox is originally from the St. Paul, Minnesota, area, site of this year's Republican National Convention.

While it is unlikely that a Cox selection as his running mate would put California into play for Sen. McCain in November, it would certainly help to bring conservative voters to his side. Despite his long resume and breadth of experience, Cox is not a nationally known figure. But the sheer strength of his experience and his understanding of conservative policy could overcome that fact should McCain select him.

For profiles of additional contenders see The Governors, and The Rivals.


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