Mary Fallin Could Be the Next Sarah Palin, and Romney May Make Her VP

Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma governor, has been rumored to be a possible candidate for Vice President on the Republican presidential ballot. The GOP national convention is a little over a month away, and Mitt Romney has to decide soon who among the nominees would be strategically suited for his 2012 campaign. Fallin might be a balanced choice for Romney’s campaign, but she would be nothing more than a modest running-mate, and the chances of Fallin being selected as VP candidate are slim to none.  

Fallin made history when she was elected as Oklahoma’s first female governor, and has proven to be one of the most popular governors in the nation. She maintains an impressive 69.3%approval rating while being strongly committed to her deep conservative-Republican values. Fallin previously served two terms in the House of Representatives, and three terms as Oklahoma’s first female and Republican lieutenant governor. She most recently made headlines by approving Oklahoma’s open carry law, making it legal for people with concealed handgun permits to carry their weapons in public. She has a strong record as a tax-cutting governor, and her platform is dedicated to reforming education and constructing affordable health care. However, she is an outspoken critic of Obamacare, and her voting record demonstrates her disapproval over many of the choices made by the Obama administration.

Among the factors weighing on Romney's decision-making for his VP selection, Fallin is overall outshined by other potential nominees. Her conservative-Republican stance would definitely pull the support and votes from conservatives that consider Romney ‘too liberal’, and her selection as VP would also swing much of the female voters. Yet Fallin has only served as governor for two years, and has not established a claim to fame that would make her a solid running-mate. Moreover, she does not have much of a following outside of Oklahoma—a low-profile and arguably reddest state in the nation. Combine her lack of experience and credentials, with some drawback from a messy divorce history involving her bodyguard back in 1998; it is safe to conclude that she would not be a competent choice for VP. The Republican Party does not need a repeat of the last election, and her nomination would bring bad press on the campaign trail by portraying Fallin as more of a nuisance, similar to the criticisms that surrounded Sarah Palin in 2008. 

Although she cannot be ruled out, there is a very, very slim chance that Fallin will be chosen as the Republican VP candidate. Fallin would definitely ensure the Republican vote in the South, but that is not much of an advantage when the southern states are already guaranteed to support Mitt Romney.  The nominees on the 2012 GOP ballot do not affect Obama’s chances of gaining Oklahoma or the rest of the states in the South . As Romney’s estimated electoral votes still trail behind Obama four months away from November, it is simply speculation that Mary Fallin would end up as Republican VP, and she is clearly not in the party’s best interest.