Ann Romney: Woman Being Eyed for Ticket

Mitt Romney's wife says her husband is thinking about picking a woman to be on his ticket this fall.

Ann Romney told CBS News, "We've been looking at that and I love that option as well."

She said the person selected for the No. 2 spot on the Republican presidential ticket should be "someone that obviously can do the job but will be able to carry through with some of the other responsibilities."

Editor's Note: Who Do You Think Will Be Romney's Pick for VP? Vote Here!

Several women have been mentioned as possible vice presidential candidates — among them former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Governors Nikki Haley of South Carolina and Susana Martinez of New Mexico; New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State.

Two other high-profile Republican women, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota are not considered likely candidates.

It was Palin who broke the mold when John McCain chose her as his running mate in 2008. She was the first woman to be nominated on a Republican ticket for the White House.

Kerry Healey, who was Romney’s lieutenant governor when he was governor of Massachusetts, told Newsmax that the candidate works well with women. She pointed out that his administration in Boston was 50 percent female.

“We were the only state in the nation that had that at the time,” said Healey, now the Romney campaign’s special adviser and foreign-policy coordinator. “He did that deliberately.

“He values women’s contribution in the workplace. He also had a very family-friendly environment within our administration,” Healey added. “He not only respected our work as women, and as coworkers, but he also respected our roles at home.”

Healey said that whomever Romney chooses, it will be someone “who would be a full partner, who would work as a key member of his administration.

“And that that person would be given significant responsibility,” she emphasized.

But it will also have to be someone who can match Romney’s energy on the campaign trail — and that won’t be easy. “He is one of the most energetic and patient campaigners I have ever seen,” she said. “He is simply indefatigable. He will be in five different locations in a day, and give five very strong, impassioned speeches, and never lose energy. It’s extraordinary.”

Of the possible candidates, Rice, 57, is the one with the best name-recognition, but she has repeatedly said she is not interested in the job. She recently placed first in a CNN poll as Republicans’ top preference for the job.

Pundits believe she would energize the party and give Romney a huge boost with her foreign policy credentials.

Ayotte, 43, was by Romney’s side in a July 4 parade in Wolfeboro, N.H. and would add undoubted glamour to the ticket. But she has two disadvantages, she is untested on the national stage and two New Englanders on the ticket could be seen as a disadvantage in many parts of the country that believes the North East is too liberal.

Haley, 40, would also be a glamorous addition. The Indian-American is a tea party favorite who could help shore up Romney’s support among conservatives. However her ratings in the Palmetto State are below 50 percent.

McMorris Rodgers, 43, has been pushing her name to the forefront of potential female candidates. She is the top-ranking Republican woman in the House as vice chair of the Republican Conference, but Washington State is not considered in play for the Romney campaign and he might want to choose someone who could help him win a swing state.

Editor's Note: Who Do You Think Will Be Romney's Pick for VP? Vote Here!

Martinez, 52, has the dual advantage of coming from a swing state and being a Latino, a group that Romney knows he needs to win over if he is to be successful in November. But she does not have a high profile outside her state and has clashed with Romney over immigration.

Other outside possibilities for Romney’s running mate include former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, both 57.