Mitt Romney effectively rules out Rick Santorum as running mate

Chris Moody
·Political Reporter

If Mitt Romney wins the Republican presidential nomination, he'll have many options for a running mate. His current rival, Rick Santorum, probably won't be one of them.

Romney said as much Monday when Neil Cavuto asked him on Fox Business if he would choose a candidate to his right in order to win the election.

"Well that would preclude, of course, Rick Santorum," Romney said. "Because, I mean, look at his record. I find it interesting that he continues to describe himself as the real conservative. This is the guy who voted against the right to work, this is the guy who voted to fund Planned Parenthood, this is the person who voted to raise the debt ceiling five times. ... It's my way of saying that Rick Santorum is not a person who is an economic conservative, to my right. I'm saying I'm a conservative, I give him credit for being a conservative, but not a fiscal conservative. His record does not suggest he's got the fiscal conservative chops that I have."

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