Cantor Would Be a Viable Alternative to Romney

Posted by Kristopher Rodriguez on 08.26.2008

Romney is heavily favored to be McCain's running mate. But don't forget about Eric Cantor.

John McCain is set to make his vice presidential announcement within the next three to four days. Names speculated to be on his short list includes Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Ridge, Joe Lieberman, and Congressman Eric Cantor. Most pro-life conservatives want Ridge and Lieberman removed from the list because they favor abortion rights. If McCain wants to keep social conservatives content, he'll have to choose either Romney, Pawlenty, or Cantor.

McCain has two crucial considerations to make before choosing a running mate. Could that running mate attack his counterparts with the same gusto as Joe Biden? The other consideration is whether his vice presidential pick would hinder his chances of winning on election day.

Let us first examine how each of those three match up against Biden. Romney has the invaluable experience of running a national campaign and participating in over a dozen debates. He knows the issues like the back of his hand and few things could stump him at this stage. He has also proven that he can go negative when necessary. In fact, Romney is so used to going negative that a slugfest with Biden might be right up his alley. Romney speaks with a high degree of confidence and is virtually impossible to ruffle. Tim Pawlenty, on the other hand, appears to be a bit green. He even struggled in a debate with Evan Bayh on an August 17th edition of Face the Nation. If a slow witted snooze like Bayh can give him trouble, a polished attack dog like Joe Biden could eat him for lunch.

Eric Cantor is a relentless and confident debater. He has proven during his interviews with Chris Matthews, Laura Ingraham, and CNN's John Roberts that he can masterfully defend conservative positions without even blinking an eye. He can also effectively attack his opponents when prompted. Cantor would be a thorn in the Obama Campaign's side.

In regards to who would do the least amount of damage to the ticket, Pawlenty and Cantor seem to hold an advantage over Romney with little elaboration necessary. Mitt Romney has the reputation of being a flip-flopper. His pro-choice positions of yesteryear are still bothersome to Evangelicals. Romney is also a Mormon. And even though this is the 21st century, Romney's religious faith is still problematic for many voters. It is unfortunate because Romney is immanently qualified to be president.

Pawlenty and Cantor would be inoffensive selections for McCain. Tim Pawlenty is an Evangelical Christian and Eric Cantor is Jewish. Both of them are pro-life. Eric Cantor's voting record in Congress earned him a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a 0% rating from NARAL.

For those keeping score, Eric Cantor fared well in both categories. Pawlenty and Romney presented problems for McCain.

Does that mean that Cantor is the best choice? It's tough to tell. Romney has credibility in economics during a time when the economy is a central issue. A McCain-Romney ticket brings with it expertise in foreign relations and economics. But McCain also can't ignore that Cantor has experience in business. Along with his law degree, Cantor holds a masters degree in real estate development. He also did work for several years in his family's business. Such experience gives him first hand insight into the small business world. Along with his credentials in economics, he also proposed the Middle Class Jobs Protection Act earlier this year. So while Romney would help McCain win over voters who have concerns over the economy, Cantor's experience might also attract the same voters.

A Romney selection would give McCain a chance to win Michigan, but a Cantor selection could put Virginia in the McCain column. Pawlenty, though an inoffensive choice, would still not be able to deliver Minnesota to the Republicans.

Out of the three candidates previously discussed, Cantor is probably the lowest on McCain's list. Romney is heavily favored to be McCain's running mate. But don't count out Cantor. He's a viable alternative to Romney.