* Rubio could help with Hispanics, conservatives
* Romney says search at early stages
* Rubio says he is not talking about process anymore
(Updates with context, Rubio Dream Act)
By Steve Holland
ASTON, PA., April 23 (Reuters) – Popular Florida Senator
Marco Rubio campaigned with Mitt Romney on Monday, increasing
speculation that the conservative Cuban-American might be high
on the Republican presidential front-runner’s list of potential
vice presidential running mates.
Rubio would bring a number of attributes to the ticket
should Romney pick him. He could appeal to some Latinos, a large
majority of whom back Democratic President Barack Obama, and he
could inspire conservatives who worry Romney is too moderate.
But Romney, who said his search is in the “very early
stages,” will have to look hard at Rubio’s inexperience on the
national stage. The Tea Party favorite has been a U.S. senator
for less than two years, making him an unlikely match for a role
in which he may have to step into the presidency at any time.
Romney is running neck-and-neck with Obama in national
opinion polls but needs to make up ground in several
battleground states where the election is likely to be decided.
The former Massachusetts governor appeared side-by-side with
Rubio at a news conference where Romney did most of the talking.
They then held a town hall event and took turns answering
questions from supporters.
Romney brushed off two questions from reporters whether
Rubio was on his list for potential vice presidential picks, a
process that will play out over the next four months ahead of
the Republicans’ August convention in Florida to nominate their
candidate to face Obama in the Nov. 6 election.
“The process for selecting a vice presidential running mate
is just beginning,” Romney said.
He noted that longtime aide Beth Myers has begun to put
together a system for checking out possible nominees and
reviewing tax returns and other background material, “but we
really haven’t had a discussion yet of putting together a list
or evaluating various candidates.”
RUBIO IS COY
Rubio, 40, has lately sounded coy about the idea of a vice
presidential nod after ruling it out repeatedly in the past.
Conservatives speak warmly of the idea and Romney advisers say
he will be considered, but some Republicans voice worries he may
simply be too young for the job.
Rubio, asked whether he had the experience necessary to
serve as vice president, would not comment. “I’m not talking
about that process any more,” he said.
Obama leads Romney among Hispanic voters by a whopping 40
percentage points, putting pressure on Romney to take steps to
reduce that margin and make himself more competitive in states
where the Latino vote could be decisive, like New Mexico and
Nevada.
Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee now
that his conservative challengers have fallen away, showed an
eagerness to get on with the general election campaign against
Obama in a battle he wants to keep on the sluggish U.S. economy.
Romney is expected to sweep five states that vote in primary
elections on Tuesday to add to his delegate total on the way to
the 1,144 needed for the nomination.
“I need your help on Nov. 6,” he told supporters earlier in
South Park Township outside Pittsburgh. “Come join us in this
effort.”
One of the issues that will come up during the general
election campaign is what to do about illegal immigrants after
the failure by both parties to deal with the issue in recent
years.
IMMIGRATION-RELATED PROPOSALS
In Aston, Romney told reporters he planned to lay out a
series of policy proposals – including unspecified adjustments
to the U.S. visa program – aimed at addressing a sore point with
the Hispanic community, the lack of a comprehensive immigration
reform.
But he would not commit to Rubio’s proposal for a
Republican-inspired “Dream Act” that would grant citizenship to
illegal immigrants who were under age 16 when brought to the
United States. They must hold a high school diploma and have
done two years of college or service in the military. A broader
Dream Act backed by Democrats has stalled in the U.S. Congress.
“I’m taking a look at his proposal. It has many features to
commend it, but it’s something that we’re studying,” said
Romney.
Rubio was the latest potential vice presidential pick to
team up with Romney on the campaign trail.
Others who have been on what could be seen as a running-mate
test drive include Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, Virginia
Governor Bob McDonnell, Ohio Senator Rob Portman, New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and
New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte.
The body language between Romney and Rubio was warm and
Romney repeatedly handed off the microphone to Rubio to respond
to questions.
The joint visit was planned when Pennsylvania, which votes
on Tuesday, was expected to be close between Romney and his last
conservative challenger Rick Santorum, who has since pulled out
of the campaign.
At his news conference, Romney opted not to get into his
service as a Mormon missionary in France in the 1960s when a
French television crew asked him to describe his favorite memory
of France.
“I think the best memories were with my wife on vacations,
from time to time in France. The last vacation we had there,
walking around the city of Paris, not just in the
Champs-Elysees, but also over to the Jardin of Luxembourg and
around the city,” he said.
(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)
