Sen. Nickles A Veep Possibility

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, July 30) -- Republican presidential candidate Robert Dole has expanded his search for a running mate to include a former colleague in the Senate: Oklahoma's Don Nickles.

Nickles, 47, is the first member of Congress Dole's screening committee has asked to submit to a background investigation, GOP sources have told The Associated Press.

Dole hopes to announce his vice presidential candidate a few days before the Republican National Convention gets underway in San Diego on Aug. 12.

While political analysts say voters rarely decide how to vote based on a candidate's running mate, they do look for what the selection says about the candidate.

Most of the veep speculation so far this year has focused on five sitting Republican governors -- Ohio's George Voinovich, Illinois' Jim Edgar, Wisconsin's Tommy Thompson, Michigan's John Engler and Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge.

Also under consideration is former South Carolina governor Carroll Campbell, and some Capitol Hill Republicans think Florida Sen. Connie Mack is a possibility, too.

Nickles, elected in 1980, comes from a state that usually is solidly Republican in presidential politics. One Nickles associate told AP he could become the running mate if Dole decided to make a surprise, unorthodox pick and add some youth to the ticket.

The initial screening process could be completed this weekend, so that Dole has time to mull his options well before the GOP convention.

Sen. Nickles A Veep Possibility

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