House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) would prefer that Mitt Romney pick Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as his vice presidential running mate.
"I'm partial to Rob Portman. I've been a longtime friend. He's a United States senator from Ohio, served as director of Office of Management and Budget under George W. Bush. Also served as U.S. Trade Rep. Served in the U.S. House of Representatives as well, knows his way around Washington, and I think he'd be a great asset for Gov. Romney," the House Speaker said in an interview with Greta Van Susteren Thursday evening.
Portman's name has increasingly come up as a top prospect for the vice presidential spot on the 2012 Republican presidential ticket. He's seen as a strong candidate given his background as former director of the Office of Management and Budget under then-President George W. Bush, a senator from the coveted swing state of Ohio, and history of working with Democrats.
Skeptics of a Romney-Portman ticket have said that Portman seems a little too boring.
Portman himself has campaigned for Romney but, like other potential picks, said he's happy where he is in the U.S. Senate.
Prior to the Senate, Portman also served as a member of the House of Representatives. Boehner's and Portman's districts are near one another.
