Is Sarah Palin haunting Mitt Romney?

From the Capitol Column:  Is Sarah Palin haunting Mitt Romney?

The heightened attention on presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s vice presidential running mate selection begs the question of whether or not Mr. Romney’s campaign team and the Republican party in general is still haunted by the 2008 selection of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as then presidential nominee John McCain’s vice presidential candidate.

Many Republicans still blame the selection of Mrs. Palin as the primary reason why they lost the 2008 election to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. Originally, when Mrs. Palin was selected it was seen as a  game changer for Mr. McCain, as voters were intrigued by the first Republican woman nominated for the vice presidency, however she quickly became a burden for Mr. McCain after it was evident in interviews and speeches that she simply was not prepared to be vice president and ultimately president if something happened to Mr. McCain.

Now, in 2012 Mr. Romney faces a similar situation that Mr. McCain faced, as he is a well-rehearsed moderate Republican and rather bland candidate going up against the nation’s first black president who is still very well-liked among American voters despite the poor state of the U.S. economy.

Therefore, if Mr. Romney were to select a female or a minority VP running mate, it will likely be seen as a repeat or even a gimmick by American voters and maybe even some fellow Republicans who are still haunted themselves by the lackluster performance of Mrs. Palin in 2008.

“It’s very difficult, just one election cycle out, not to compare a female candidate to Sarah Palin,” said Jennifer L. Lawless, a political science professor at American University in an interview with MSN Money.  “So even if you were to identify somebody who was incredibly well credentialed, the likelihood of both voters and the media assessing that woman relative to Sarah Palin would be a liability for Romney.”

Earlier this week during an interview with CBS, Mr. Romney’s wife Ann said that she likes the option of selecting a female vice presidential running mate but that whoever does get selected needs to have the credentials and “someone that obviously can do the job but will be able to carry through with some of the other responsibilities.”

Some possible female Republicans that could be better selections than was Mrs. Palin in 2008 are former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, an African-American female who served during the Bush administration and has plenty of foreign policy experience and New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez who is the nation’s first female Hispanic governor and would likely give Mr. Romney a boost in support among Hispanic voters who currently overwhelmingly support his opponent.

Mr. Romney and his campaign team have specifically stated whether they are considering a female candidate, but it will be interesting to see who they do select and whether they choose another female candidate that evokes memories of Mrs. Palin from 2008.