John Thune Makes Case For Romney, But VP Chances Still Slim

John Thune could be Mitt Romney‘s VP choice, and Mike Lee, one of the most conservative members of the Senate, is pulling for him.

NPR reports that, should you mention Thune’s name around the freshman Utah Republican, his eyes light up, and he states:

 ”I love John. He’s articulate, passionate, collegial. I mean … I think he’d be great.”

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a less conservative Republican, shows that even non-tea party members like Thune. She pointed out that she, along with her GOP colleagues, unanimously selected the South Dakota Senator to their leadership team. Collins stated:

“He has a good image for the party. He relates well to people who represent the more conservative wing of the party as well as those of us who are more moderate. He gets along with everyone.”

According to MSNBC, John Thune knows a different Mitt Romney than what some people see on the campaign trail, which could be why voters are having a difficult time relating to the supposed Republican nominee. Thune stated:

“I’ve traveled with him in Iowa and been on the bus with his family and him, and they’re just incredible, wonderful, normal people. And that’s a side of him that I hope voters in this country get an opportunity to see.  And I think really he just needs to be himself.”

Thune traveled to Virginia to address Romney supporters, making the rounds as a part of Romney’s VP vetting process. The short list of VP hopefuls are all making similar campaign stops in battleground states throughout the weekend. The South Dakota Republican senator even considered entering the presidential race himself. He is hoping that the more

Americans see Romney, the more they will see that they can relate to him beyond his background as a former businessman and governor. John Thune stated:

“I think often times in politics — you have tendency to — people sort of put you in a bubble. And I think the more that he [Romney] gets a chance to get out in front of the American people, interact with them, in a way that I’ve had an opportunity to interact with him, they’re going to see someone, who I think they’re going to find is an incredibly, not only strong leader for our country, but someone that they really will believe in and can have great trust will take this country in the right direction.”

Do you think that John Thune and Mitt Romney would be good running partners in the 2012 Presidential election?