If Rubio continues his momentum, and is the Republican nominee for President in 2016, can he win? If I had to give my prediction, I would say the GOP nominee is he. The 2 states the Republican candidate needs to win are Florida and Ohio. I don't know who from Ohio might be a running mate. But if Kay Bailey Hutchison, former U.S. Senator from Texas, could be talked out of 'retirement,' I think that's a possibility. She is currently 71, and pro-life forces call her pro-choice, while pro-choice forces call her pro-life. But with the recent death of her husband, if she realizes that the VP office is for someone whose political career is at an end, and it's largely ceremonial, she possibly could make inroads into the female vote.
The thing is that Texas will go Republican with or without a Texan on the ticket. Democrats claim Texas is being "realigned," and is on the verge of becoming a solidly Democratic state again. But our statewide elections last year showed that's nothing but wishful thinking, with, for example in the Governor's race, Greg Abbott winning over Wendy Davis, 59% to 39%.
So... a Rubio/Hutchison ticket would win the states the Republicans won in '08 and '12, + probably Florida, then Ohio? Virginia? Maryland? Iowa?
I think such a ticket could make it interestingly close. But who from Ohio or Pennsylvania could be Rubio's running mate?
The thing is that Texas will go Republican with or without a Texan on the ticket. Democrats claim Texas is being "realigned," and is on the verge of becoming a solidly Democratic state again. But our statewide elections last year showed that's nothing but wishful thinking, with, for example in the Governor's race, Greg Abbott winning over Wendy Davis, 59% to 39%.
So... a Rubio/Hutchison ticket would win the states the Republicans won in '08 and '12, + probably Florida, then Ohio? Virginia? Maryland? Iowa?
I think such a ticket could make it interestingly close. But who from Ohio or Pennsylvania could be Rubio's running mate?