Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Monday that Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) would be an "excellent choice" for Mitt Romney's vice presidential candidate, joining a chorus of conservative Republicans who have tabbed the Tea Party freshman as a potential addition to the ticket.
"He is well-spoken, he is direct, he is from Florida and folks in Florida love him — with Florida being one of those key states in the Fall. But most importantly, Col. Allen West is a dedicated patriot who has served in the military, and who is willing to serve his country again. I think he would be an excellent choice," Cain told conservative talk radio host Steve Gill.
Speculation about a spot on the ticket for the congressman grew last week when former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said she believed the eventual Republican nominee should make a "rogue" pick in her own mold.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a prominent Romney surrogate who herself has been IDed as a possible addition to the ticket, said Wednesday that West could be a "good" choice, although later seemed to backtrack from those comments.
West himself told CNN Friday he would join the Republican ticket as a VP nominee "if it was the right fit."
"The focus is, of course, being a good congressional representative,” the freshman member said. “But if someone were to make that call to me, which I really doubt is ever going to happen, you would have to make sure that it is something that God would ordain for you, and you’d have to talk to your wife, my wife and my two daughters about. But we have always stepped up to the plate to serve our country. And if it’s the right fit, then I will do so.”
