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Sununu: Pawlenty would make 'comfortable' Romney running mate

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Jan 10, 2012 at 12:07 pm

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (KNSI) - Former New Hampshire governor and key Mitt Romney supporter John Sununu said he would support selecting former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty to a Romney presidential ticket should Romney receive the party nomination.

Speaking with reporters in Manchester Tuesday, Sununu, a former White House Chief of Staff under President George H.W. Bush, said Pawlenty's experience leading Minnesota would make him a strong candidate to fill out a hypothetical Mitt Romney presidential ticket.

AUDIO: Former Gov. John Sununu, R-New Hampshire, discusses Gov. Tim Pawlenty as a potential Romney running mate with KNSI's Dan "The Ox" Ochsner; 1/10/12

"Tim was a great governor. I'm partially to governors as presidents and vice presidents. I think the experience they bring from being a chief executive in a state is very, very important," Sununu said.

"I can say I'd be very comfortable with Tim as a VP nominee," Sununu continued.

However, Sununu, who served as New Hampshire's governor from 1983 to 1989, added he had "nothing to say" in selecting Romney's eventual running mate in the event the former Massachusetts governor captures the GOP nomination.

Sununu, 72, has been a vocal supporter of Romney's candidacy and has served as a frequent stand-in for Romney on the campaign trail. Romney was in New Hampshire Tuesday for last-minute campaigning as the state's voters cast ballots in the nation's first 2012 presidential primary.