Tim Pawlenty, speaking as a Mitt Romney surrogate on Wednesday, said it's "premature" to exclude Rick Santorum as a possible vice presidential pick but denied that his candidate has even started a list.
"I think it would be premature to say anybody should be excluded from that list," Pawlenty said on CNN. "I'm sure in many people's minds, in the minds of the punditry, Rick Santorum will be on the list. Whether he would be ultimately selected or not, who knows. ... I know Gov. Romney hasn't even started to put a list like that together in any formal way."
Romney, campaigning in Delaware on Tuesday, also denied that he has a list started for possible running mates.
"I do not even have a list," he said on the campaign trail, according to The Associated Press. "I can't tell you when, and I can't tell you who."
Pawlenty said the list would likely be long.
Santorum dropped his own bid for the White House on Tuesday. He has said in the past that he would consider becoming Romney's running mate, even after criticizing him during the campaign.
Alice Stewart, Santorum's campaign press secretary, said earlier on the show that Santorum promised Romney he would do "everything he could to help" rally conservatives around Romney as the likely nominee.
