Portman's NH swing fuels veep speculation

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), perhaps the odds-on favorite for Mitt Romney's vice presidential nomination, is heading to New Hampshire later this week for a pair of high-profile events in the pivotal swing state.

Portman will host a roundtable discussion at the New Hampshire GOP party headquarters, where he's expected to discuss the 2012 presidential race and field questions from supporters. Later, Portman will attend a $250-per-plate fundraising reception at the home of a New Hampshire attorney.

The visits are only fueling speculation that Portman could be angling for the vice presidential nomination. The senator appeared at multiple bus tour stops with Romney during his swing through Ohio last month, and the presidential hopeful is vacationing this week in New Hampshire, where his family owns a home.

The Romney campaign also circulated a memo to reporters Monday morning penned by Portman and Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) ahead of President Obama's bus tour through the two states.

"This week, President Obama will visit our states as he campaigns for reelection," the senators wrote. "We welcome him, and we hope he takes time to learn about how the private sector is actually doing and about the challenges facing our constituents in Ohio and Pennsylvania."

Portman has thus far downplayed speculation in his public comments.

"I'm probably best suited where I am," he told the Cleveland ABC News affiliate last week, adding that if Romney asked, he would "say there are a lot of other great choices."

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