Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell has accepted the chairmanship of the platform committee at the Republican National Convention in August, a move that puts a key Mitt Romney surrogate in a position to help write the GOP’s positions on critical issues.
McDonnell — who also heads the Republican Governors Association and is frequently listed as a possible Romney vice presidential running mate — said he would be honored to serve on the panel known as the Committee on Resolutions, the
Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Tuesday.
In addition to McDonnell, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus announced that North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven and Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn would serve as co-chairs of the committee.
“The principles of our party and our vision for the country are contained in the platform,” Priebus said in a statement. “It is a document of immense importance and a testament to our dedication to individual liberty, economic freedom, and limited government.”
As a potential vice presidential candidate, McDonnell would have step down from head of the panel if tapped by Romney to fill out the second spot on the ticket.
“You cannot be both,” Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, told the Times-Dispatch. “The vice presidential nominee would immediately be sucked into the campaign and the platform chair has a major role in the convention.”
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