Free Republic

Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is being touted as a “sleeper” candidate to serve as Mitt Romney’s vice president, the Sioux City Journal reported. Thune may be at a disadvantage because he comes from a state with only three electoral votes, South Dakota Democratic Party Executive Director Ben Nesselhuf told the Journal. So electoral strategy might tempt Romney to pick Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida or Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. Rubio ‘s Florida has 29 electoral votes and Portman’s Ohio has 18. That aside, Thune has qualities to match the job, according to Doug Gross, an Iowa Republican...

North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad's retirement plans underscore a big problem for Democrats in 2012 and beyond. Farm Belt and Southern voters who prefer a Republican president but have often backed moderate Democrats for Congress seem increasingly inclined to vote GOP in all federal races. Republicans rejoiced at Conrad's announcement this week, convinced they can win the open seat in 2012 and hold it for years to come. They see it as a replay of last fall's North Dakota election, in which Republican John Hoeven easily won the Senate seat vacated after 18 years by Democrat Byron Dorgan. They also...

"For those in the GOP who aren’t giddy about a second Mitt Romney run and aren’t sold on the viability of Tim Pawlenty, Thune represents a mainstream conservative alternative..."