Christie's best choice would be Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA). He comes from a key swing state, he has experience sufficient for the job, and he's Jewish. The GOP has missed some opportunities to make inroads in the pro-Democratic Jewish vote in a number of states.
Eric Cantor is very unpopular statewide in Virginia. That would be a very stupid pick.
And why would Hillary pick Mark Pryor? If she wanted to make inroads into Appalachia/Arkansas, it would be much better to pick the super popular Mike Beebe.
I understand why Democrats don't like Cantor. I don't find him particularly likeable, and he comes off as a snot-nose at times. But that's OK in certain contexts for a VP candidate. I respectfully wonder if the idea that Cantor couldn't help the GOP in VA isn't a degree of wishful thinking
I think that Cantor could help in Virginia. He's a powerful Congressman, the guy right behind the Speaker, possibly the next Speaker. Because he's Jewish, the pick would be historic; the first Jewish candidate on a GOP ticket.
The Jewish vote is slowly moving toward the GOP. Jews are, for the most part, culturally liberal (the Hasidim and the Orthodox an exception), but the years of hearing "Obama's a Muslim!" and the growing perception that Obama, somehow, has "given radical Islam a free ride" hurts Obama with some Jewish voters. Jews, as a group, were more hawkish on Iraq then many other Democratic constituencies, and they are somewhat less likely to support affirmative action policies. The Cantor pick could exploit these shifts in opinion, and help the GOP in Florida, and in many of the key suburbs of Northeastern and Midwestern metro areas.
