One minute it seemed like the sun was setting on Marco Rubio’s chances for the vice presidential nomination from Mitt Romney and the next Romney was shooting the idea down.
“Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process,” Romney said during an unannounced campaign stop in Michigan.
ABC News first reported that a Romney advisor said Rubio has not been asked to complete any questionnaires or turn over any financial documents typically required of potential vice presidential candidates. A separate advisor confirmed this to the Washington Post.
“I can’t imagine who such people are, but I can tell you this: They know nothing about the vice presidential selection or evaluation process,” Romney told reporters Tuesday evening outside a Michigan ice cream shop, according to the AP. “The story was entirely false. Marco Rubio is being thoroughly vetted as part of our process.”
Two Romney representatives would not say if or when Rubio had submitted paperwork for the vetting process.
The controversy over whether Rubio is being vetted came as two biographies about the Florida Senator were released. Rubio’s memoir “American Son” debuted Tuesday as well as “The Rise of Marco Rubio” by Washington Post reporter Manuel Roig-Franzia, which featured some previously unearthed revelations about him.
“First off, whoever is leading that search certainly vetted Marco Rubio,” says Matt Barreto, a political scientist at the University of Washington and pollster for Latino Decisions.
Stephen A. Nuño, a Northern Arizona University political scientist and NBC Latino contributor, says June is a long way off from the convention and things can still change.
“I’m not sure you can tell in June if a candidate is in or out, no matter the perceived process,” he says.
For his part Rubio refused to get into the VP musical chairs speculation game during an appearance on Fox News.
“I’m not commenting on the vice presidential process,” he said.
“That’s been basically what we’ve said the whole time because, out of respect for Gov. Romney, the last thing he needs is to have to be addressing questions about this because really the campaign’s not about that.”
[...] though Romney had said he was vetting the 41-year-old senator for the VP seat, Rubio has come out in full support of the Republican [...]
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