Condoleezza Rice
Former Seceretary of State
George W. Bush's secretary of state was the surprise top pick when a CNN/ORC International Poll offered a list of vice presidential possibilities to Republicans with 26% of those asked, 5 percentage points ahead of Rick Santorum, the second-highest choice.
CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said name recognition was the key to the results, pointing to a lack of awareness of many of the other potential running mates Romney might choose from -- Portman registered only one-half of 1% in the poll.
Rice, 57, doesn't share Republicans' dreams, though. She told Fox News in March, "I think we should go another direction and find somebody who really wants to be in elected office. How many ways can I say it? Not me."
Marco Rubio
U.S. senator, Florida
The freshman Florida senator fits the bill in a few key areas: He's young, Latino and comes from Florida, another state that will be key in the general election. He says he would reject the job.
In fact, he told CNN's Candy Crowley the week before he was to campaign in April that he's done talking about it: "The last thing [Romney] needs are those of us in the peanut gallery to be saying what we would or would not do. I know that Mitt Romney's going to make a great choice for vice president."
Asked earlier in April if he would reject a vice presidential proposal, Rubio replied, "Yes."
Rubio, 40, is another tea party favorite elected in 2010. Florida's popular moderate Gov. Charlie Crist had intended to run for the Senate as a Republican, but Rubio's entry forced him to run as an independent. The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives and was its speaker before running for the Senate.
Paul Ryan
U.S. representative, Wisconsin
A five-day stint with Romney on the campaign trail before his home state of Wisconsin voted fueled speculation that the House Budget Committee chairman was auditioning for the vice presidential job.
But Ryan, 42, another GOP rising star from a battleground state, also defers talk of being Romney's running mate.
"It's [Romney's] decision months from now, not mine. So why spend my time thinking about it? If this bridge ever comes that I should cross it, then I'll think about it then. It's not the time to think about it," he told the Wall Street Journal in April.
Ryan is the architect of the House GOP's controversial budget proposal, which Democrats have attacked but Republicans say is intended to save Medicare while reining in spending. Ryan also has assumed the role of the party's leader on fiscal and budgetary issues.
Rick Santorum
Former U.S. senator, Pennsylvania
It's hard to imagine the former Pennsylvania senator being Romney's running mate after the bitter campaign they ran against each other, but Santorum has promised to do anything he can to help get Romney elected.
With Santorum on the ticket, the GOP conservative base would certainly be energized, suggesting they wouldn't be unhappy with the ticket and not turn out vote. But Santorum would have little crossover appeal, with far right positions on abortion, same-sex marriage and other social issues.
Santorum, 53, isn't coy about whether he would accept an offer of the No. 2 spot. He'd take it in a heartbeat.
"Of course," he told Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody shortly after suspending his campaign. "I mean, look -- I would do in this race as I always say, this is the most important race in our country's history. I'm going to do everything I can."
Brian Sandoval
Governor, Nevada
The first Latino governor of battleground state Nevada, Sandoval, 39, on paper would appear to help Romney bring a key state into his column and make inroads into a key voting bloc in which he trails Obama badly.
But Sandoval, 49, didn't win the Latino vote in Nevada when he was elected governor in 2010 -- that went to Democratic opponent Rory Reid, son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
And he has some differences with conservatives in his party, which could suppress turnout: He's pro-choice and broke a no-tax pledge as governor.
Sandoval endorsed Perry before he suspended his campaign and has not yet endorsed Romney.
John Thune
U.S. senator, South Dakota
After deciding against his own 2012 White House bid, the South Dakota senator endorsed Romney in late 2011, saying, "He is a guy who has turned failing things around."
Thune, 51, is a GOP hero for toppling incumbent Democrat Tom Daschle in 2004 and was on many Republicans' wish list for a presidential run this time around. He is also chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, which controls the party's message in the Senate, and is often mentioned as a presidential contender down the road. He, too, would offer a balance to Romney's Northeastern base.
Thune has been noncommital about vice presidential aspirations; he has said he's not interested but at the same time said it was too early to start that conversation.
Pat Toomey
U.S. senator, Pennsylvania
The freshman Pennsylvania senator is another tea party favorite who would do much to soothe conservatives who aren't quite convinced Romney truly shares their values.
Toomey, 48, challenged then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter in the 2004 primary, challenging the incumbent's commitment to fiscal conservatism, and narrowly missed unseating him. His second run against Specter in 2010 forced the incumbent to switch parties when polls showed him trailing Toomey among Republican voters. Toomey went on to defeat Democrat Joe Sestak, who had beaten Specter in the primary.
Toomey has strong budgetary and economic credentials and is a former president of the conservative Club for Growth. He also has appeal as helping to make Romney competitive in a moderate state that Obama won in 2008.
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