(CNN) – Republican Sen. John Thune on Sunday said he doesn't hold "aspirations" to serve as Mitt Romney's running mate in 2012, but did not rule out accepting a potential offer.
When asked if he would say "yes or no" to the No. 2 spot if it was offered, the South Dakota senator and early Romney backer said he is keeping his options open.
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"You never rule out opportunities or options when you're involved in public life and you say you want to make a difference. If you're serious about that, obviously you don't foreclose options," Thune said on "Fox News Sunday."
Thune, now in his second term, reiterated his pledge to help the presumptive GOP presidential nominee while he attempts to "make a difference" in his current role as a senator.
"That's the job I have. I don't aspire to anything else," Thune said. "Obviously, the Romney team, his campaign team are going to carefully vet some folks that they're looking at. We've got a lot of good options out there, and I just hope to contribute in some way to the success of this ticket in the fall."
The third-ranking Senate Republican decided against a presidential bid of his own in February 2011 and has been mentioned by political observers as a potential vice-presidential candidate. Thune has enjoyed a relatively high profile since he ousted three-term incumbent and Democratic leader Tom Daschle from his Senate seat in 2004.
Romney appointed Beth Myers in April to lead his search for a running mate, a process the former Massachusetts governor has said he hopes remains out of the public sphere.
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no one wants to be the next "Sarah"
This guy has lived off of Government funded taxpayers dollars his entire life. I'd say the Government has worked just fine for he and his family so why would he want anything changed.
Now some republicans are very smart. They are not accepting the “VP” ticket form Romney they knew it will end their political carrier completely
Nice pic! (NOT)
A career ending move.
Lots of luck , Thune, on going aboard alexithemic Mitt's sinking ship.
LOL! Another loser from the right. They really and truly are scraping the bottom of the barrel aren't they?
Most know you can't run a campaign on hate, bigotry and flip-flopping. That's works in the primary but Americans are wise to the dirty "swift boat" politics of the Republicans and that boat won't float anymore.
This is really the only topic of interest left for the GOP. It will definitely be the highlight of their convention. My guess is it will be that Mike guy. Give it to Mikey, he'll eat anything!
"Thune doesn't say no to No 2 spot". It could also be interpret as Thune doesn't say yes to No 2 spot.
Thune is just another run-of-the-mill "aginner" – except for the pork projects for his district. He's also a flip-flopper on every major area. He does like to obstruct all progress and hates any form of compromise – good traits for the mindless right-wing.