Thune appears cool to running as Romney VP

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican conference, appeared cool to the idea of being likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's running mate in the fall

Thune, who has always supported Romney in the primaries, indicated that he may prefer to stay in the Senate when asked about being the GOP vice presidential nominee on Fox News Sunday.

“Look, you never rule out opportunities or options when you are in public life and you say you want to make a difference and you are serious about that, you don't foreclose those options,” he said. “But in my view, I have a job in the United States Senate and I like what I am doing. I think I can make a difference there. That's my job. I don't aspire to do anything else.”

Thune added that there are “a lot of good options out there” for Romney's team to choose from.

---

RELATED: Romney will pick mini-Mitt for VP, his Bain Capital hires suggest

---

Thune has been talked about as a possible vice president, along with House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R)

“I hope that we can be a partner with the Romney administration, in the United States Senate, to put this country back on track to grow the economy, create jobs and get the debt and spending under control,” Thune said.

---

RELATED: Mitt Romney's VP pick is not just a matter of who, but when

---

---